Pyongyang, October 24 (KCNA) -- Kim Jong Il, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK, on Monday received Li Keqiang, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the C.C., the Communist Party of China and vice-premier of the State Council of China, on a visit to the DPRK.

Present there were General of the Korean People's Army Kim Jong Un, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission of the WPK, Ri Yong Ho, member of the Presidium of the Political Bureau of the C.C., the WPK and chief of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army, Kang Sok Ju, member of the Political Bureau of the C.C., the WPK and vice-premier of the DPRK Cabinet, Jang Song Thaek, alternate member of the Political Bureau of the C.C., the WPK and vice-chairman of the NDC of the DPRK, and Kim Yong Il and Kim Yang Gon, alternate members of the Political Bureau and secretaries of the C.C., the WPK.

Present there from the Chinese side were You Quan, deputy secretary-general of the State Council, Zhang Zhijun, executive vice-minister of Foreign Affairs, Chen Yuan, managing director of the China Development Bank, Liu Hongcai, Chinese ambassador to the DPRK, Liu Jieyi, deputy head of the International Liaison Department of the C.C., the CPC, Liu Tienan, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Committee, Chen Jian, vice-minister of Commerce, and Ning Jizhe, deputy director of the Policy Research Office of the State Council.

Kim Jong Il firmly shook his hands with Li Keqiang and had a talk with him.

Li Keqiang expressed his sincerest thanks to General Secretary Kim Jong Il for providing such significant occasion by sparing his precious time, though he was very busy leading the building of a thriving nation.

Li said that Kim Jong Il performed great feats in developing the solidarity and traditional friendly and cooperative relations between the two parties and countries on a higher stage by paying a series of visits to China in recent years.

While staying in the DPRK, I was deeply impressed to see for myself the great successes made by the fraternal Korean people in their efforts to improve the standard of people's living and build an economic power under the leadership of the WPK headed by Kim Jong Il, Li said.

It is the steadfast policy of the party and government of China to consolidate and develop the traditional Sino-DPRK friendship by sincerely implementing the wide-ranging agreements reached between the top leaders of China and the DPRK, consistently holding fast to the bilateral relations on a strategic level and from a long-term perspective and preserving the spirit of "inheriting the tradition, facing up to the future, building good-neighborly friendship and strengthening cooperation," he added.

Kim Jong Il warmly welcomed Li's visit to the DPRK and asked him to convey his warm regards to Hu Jintao and other members of the collective leadership of the CPC and the fraternal Chinese people.

He recollected with deep emotion the facts that when he was visiting Northeast China in May last year Li Keqiang came all the way to Dalian City far away from Beijing and cordially greeted him and showed all sincerity and provided every convenience and when he stopped over at Beijing in May this year, the Chinese vice-premier accompanied him during his tour and gave a grand luncheon in honor of him.

Kim Jong Il estimated the successful talks held between the governments of the two countries in Pyongyang and expressed the willingness of the WPK and the DPRK government to steadily boost the traditional friendly and cooperative relations between the DPRK and China as desired by the two parties, governments and peoples.

Li presented gifts carrying his best wishes to Kim Jong Il and Kim Jong Un.

Kim Jong Il hosted a dinner for Li.

Present there on invitation were Li Keqiang, You Quan, Zhang Zhijun, Chen Yuan, Liu Hongcai, Liu Jieyi, Liu Tienan, Chen Jian and Ning Jizhe.

Kim Jong Un, Ri Yong Ho, Kang Sok Ju, Jang Song Thaek, Kim Yong Il and Kim Yang Gon were present there.

The dinner proceeded in an atmosphere over flowing with warm friendship from its beginning to its end.

Kim Jong Il warmly hugged Li and bid farewell to him.