Present there on invitation were Liang Guanglie, state councilor and minister of National Defense of China, Chen Fengxiang, deputy head of the International Liaison Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, etc. and officials concerned.

Choe Pyong Gwan, DPRK ambassador to China, and staff members of his embassy were on hand.

Speeches were made there.

Choe Pyong Gwan referred to the fact that President Kim Il Sung gave unstinted help to the Chinese revolution, adding that the DPRK-China friendship is unbreakable as it was provided by the leaders of the elder generation of the two countries and it grew stronger in the course of the joint bloody struggle against the Japanese and U.S. imperialist aggressors.

Leader Kim Jong Il visited China twice this year, once again proving before the whole world that the DPRK-China friendship which stood all tests of history would remain ever-green no matter how much water may flow under the bridge and how often one generation is replaced by another, he said, reiterating the will to boost the DPRK-China friendly and cooperative relations true to the noble intention of the top leaders of the two countries.

Liang Guanglie said that when looking back on the past, he felt the urge to express reverence for the revolutionaries of the elder generation of the two countries including Chairman Mao Zedong and President Kim Il Sung who provided and cultivated the traditional Sino-DPRK friendship, pay tribute to the fighters of the Chinese People's Volunteers and the Korean People's Army who made a heroic epic at the cost of their blood and lives and show more ardent love for the great peoples of China and DPRK, the sources of victory.

Thanks to the correct leadership and deep care of General Secretary Hu Jintao and General Secretary Kim Jong Il, the ties between the two countries entered a fresh phase of development after weathering all the changes of the international situation and ordeals in the new century and their foundation are growing stronger and demonstrating their great vitality as the days go by, he concluded.