He said in his speech that the Chinese high-ranking military delegation has come to the DPRK to participate in the celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the entry of the Chinese People's Volunteers into the Korean front and pay an official goodwill visit to the DPRK at the invitation of the DPRK National Defence Commission.

He went on:

China and the DPRK are the friendly neighbors having lips-and-teeth relations.

The peoples and armies of the two countries have maintained close relations of friendship, supporting and cooperating with each other in the long-drawn struggle against powers' aggression and for the socialist revolution and construction.

Six decades ago the CPV fought alongside the people and army of the DPRK and won a great victory in the struggle to defend the regional and world peace.

The traditional Sino-DPRK friendship which struck deep roots in the minds of the two peoples and stood tests of the complicated international situation serves as precious wealth common to them.

I was pleased to learn that the traditional Sino-DPRK friendship forged and cultivated by the leaders of the elder generation of the two countries has made a fresh development under the deep care of General Secretary Hu Jintao and General Secretary Kim Jong Il.

Kim Jong Il visited China twice this year and met Hu Jintao and exchanged views on a series of matters of common concern and reached a common understanding, contributing to further developing the traditional Sino-DPRK friendly and cooperative relations.

Zhou Yongkang, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, visited the DPRK on the occasion of the 65th birthday of the Workers' Party of Korea, leading a delegation of the CPC delegation, and participated in its celebrations, once again showing the stand of the Chinese party and government to invariably develop the traditional Sino-DPRK relations of friendship and cooperation.

The purpose of my current visit to the DPRK is to put the common understanding achieved by the leaders of the two parties and countries into practice and thus strengthen the traditional relations of friendship and cooperation between the peoples and armies of the two countries and join the Korean comrades in contributing to the regional and world peace and stability and development.

It is my hope that the Sino-DPRK friendship will be handed down through generations and last forever.