Pyongyang, December 20 (KCNA) -- Hu Jintao, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and president of the People's Republic of China, Tuesday visited the DPRK embassy in Beijing to express condolences over the demise of leader Kim Jong Il.

Accompanying him were Wu Bangguo, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the C.C., the CPC and chairman of the Standing Committee of the Chinese National People's Congress; Li Changchun, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the C.C., the CPC; Xi Jinping, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the C.C., the CPC, vice-president of the PRC and vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission of the CPC; Guo Boxiong, member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee and vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission of the CPC; Ling Jihua, member of the Secretariat and director of the General Office of the C.C., the CPC; Chen Shiju, director of the General-Secretary's Office of the C.C., the CPC; Yang Jiechi, minister of Foreign Affairs; and Wang Jiarui, head of the International Liaison Department of the C.C., the CPC.

Placed before a portrait of Kim Jong Il were wreaths in the name of the Central Committee of the CPC, the Standing Committee of the Chinese National People's Congress, the State Council, the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and the Central Military Commission of the CPC and a wreath in the joint name of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National Defense of the PRC and the International Liaison Department of the C.C., the CPC.

Also laid there were wreaths in the name of Hu Jintao, Jiang Zemin, Wu Bangguo, Li Changchun and Xi Jinping.

The senior party and state leaders of China expressed deep condolences to the demise of Kim Jong Il, making three bows to his portrait.

Hu Jintao said that the party, government and people of China express deep condolences over the sudden demise of Kim Jong Il, noting he was a great leader of the party and state of the DPRK and a close friend of the Chinese people.

He devoted his whole life to the Korean revolution and the cause of state building and made an important contribution to the development of the traditional Sino-DPRK relations of friendship and cooperation, Hu noted, adding the Chinese people will always remember him.

Hu expressed belief that the Korean people would unite close around the Workers' Party of Korea, true to the behest of Kim Jong Il and overcome sorrow and display strength under the leadership of General Kim Jong Un and make strenuous efforts to build a thriving socialist nation and achieve durable peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

It is the steadfast policy of the party and government of China to steadily consolidate and develop the traditional Sino-DPRK relations of friendship and cooperation, Hu stressed, reaffirming his will to boost the bilateral friendship together with the Korean comrades.