Kim Jong Il, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK and supreme commander of the Korean People's Army, was present there.

Present there were Kim Yong Nam, Choe Yong Rim and Ri Yong Ho who are members of the Presidium of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the WPK, Kim Jong Un, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission of the WPK, Kim Yong Chun, member of the Political Bureau of the WPK Central Committee, and other senior officials of the party, army and state, officials of party, armed forces and power organs, working people's organizations, ministries and national institutions, servicepersons of the KPA and the Korean People's Internal Security Forces, officials in the fields of science, education, culture and arts, public health and media and working people in the city.

Present there on invitation were members of the Chinese high-ranking military delegation, the delegation of veteran fighters of the CPV and the Art Troupe of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, the delegation of the Dandong City, Liaoning Province, Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese ambassador to the DPRK and staff members of the Chinese embassy and Chinese guests staying in the DPRK.

KPA Vice Marshal Kim Yong Chun, member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the WPK, vice-chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK and minister of the People's Armed Forces, made a report.

He said in his report that the CPV's entry into the Korean front was a living example of proletarian internationalism as it was a striking manifestation of the sense of revolutionary obligation forged in the common struggle against imperialism.

In the Fatherland Liberation War the armies and peoples of the two countries bravely fought hand in hand and won a shining victory, thus defending the precious gains of the revolution of the two countries and greatly contributing to ensuring peace in Asia and the rest of the world, he noted.

He stressed that even after the ceasefire in Korea the CPV fighters took an active part in the postwar rehabilitation and construction, performing great labor feats.

He referred to the fact that the tradition of the DPRK-China friendship provided by President Kim Il Sung together with the leaders of the elder generation of China is developing on a new higher stage and greeting a great heyday thanks to the leaders of the two countries.

It is the steadfast policy of the WPK and the DPRK government to boost the DPRK-China friendship which stood all storms and tests of history, he said, stressing that the DPRK will in the future, too, set store by the traditional DPRK-China friendship and join the Chinese people in making positive efforts to dynamically develop the DPRK-China friendly and cooperative relations on a higher stage.

The Chinese people are now waging a dynamic struggle to build a harmonious socialist society based on the scientific outlook on development under the correct leadership of the CPC with Hu Jintao as general secretary, he noted, wishing the Chinese people greater successes in the struggle to build a harmonious and comprehensively developed socialist society and reunify the whole country under the leadership of the CPC in the future, too.

Noting that the army and people of the DPRK are greeting a new historic turning point in accomplishing the revolutionary cause of Juche and the cause of building a thriving socialist nation, he stressed:

The army and people of the DPRK will continue waging a dynamic struggle, single-mindedly united around the WPK headed by Kim Jong Il, and thus bring about a decisive turn in developing economy and improving the standard of people's living and certainly translate the WPK's plan for building a thriving nation into a brilliant reality.

Steadfast is the DPRK's stand to improve the inter-Korean relations and pave the way for national reunification on the basis of the historic June 15 joint declaration and the October 4 declaration.

The U.S. and the south Korean puppet group of traitors are bringing again the dark clouds of a war of aggression to hang over this land while persistently resorting to the reckless moves to stifle the DPRK, oblivious of the lesson drawn from the bitter defeat in the past Korean war.

If the enemies ignite a war of aggression in the long run despite the repeated warnings of the army and people of the DPRK and opposition of the international community, the DPRK will mobilize all its military potentials including the nuclear deterrent for self-defence it built under the banner of Songun and blow up the citadel of the aggressors and build a rich and powerful reunified country in the homeland.

We will in the future, too, continue waging a dynamic struggle to develop the friendly and cooperative relations with all the countries and peace-loving people in the world that respect the sovereignty of the DPRK in the invariable idea of the foreign policy-- independence, peace and friendship--, defend the peace and stability in Northeast Asia and the rest of the world and accomplish the human cause of independence.

Col. General Guo Boxiong, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission of the People's Republic of China, made a speech at the meeting.

He said in his speech that six decades ago the CPV unhesitatingly rushed to battle fields for justice, holding aloft the banner of defending peace from aggression and fought alongside the Korean People's Army, beating back the imperialist aggression, adding that they waged a bloody fight for two years and nine months, winning a great victory in the war at last.

This victory dealt a heavy blow at the aggressors who were bluffing and frustrated the imperialists' plot to dominate the whole world, safeguarding the peace and security of China and the DPRK, he noted, and continued: This not only greatly encouraged the peoples of various countries in their heroic struggle for national independence and freedom and liberation but made an important historic contribution to promoting the world peace, human justice and the progressive cause.

Nearly three million fighters of the CPV and hundreds of thousands of people directly participated in the war and a great many people shed blood in battle fields and more than 100 000 officers and men of the CPV laid down their precious lives.

We always remember the precious support given by President Kim Il Sung, the great leader of the Korean people, and the Korean people to the Chinese people and the CPV.

The brave KPA fought hand in hand with the CPV in close cooperation and broad strata of the Korean people courageously assisted the front despite a hail of bullets and shells.

The friendship between us was sealed in blood by the peoples and armies of the two countries.

Our peace today was won at the precious sacrifice made by the peoples and armies of the two countries.

We are pleased to learn that under the leadership of General Secretary Kim Jong Il and the WPK the people and army of the DPRK are registering steady fresh successes in the efforts to develop economy, improve the standard of people's living and accomplish the cause of building a thriving nation.

The people and army of China under the leadership of General Secretary Hu Jintao and the CPC are taking steady new stride forward in the great work to build a comprehensively well-off society and promote socialism with Chinese characteristics.

It is our firm belief that at the new historic stage the traditional Sino-DPRK friendship provided and brought into bloom by Chairman Mao Zedong and Premier Zhou Enlai and President Kim Il Sung and other leaders of the elder generation of the two countries will surely develop in depth generation after generation under the deep care of Hu Jintao and Kim Jong Il.