The message said:

I accepted happy news that you were elected first secretary of the WPK at its Conference.

I, on behalf of the CPC Central Committee and on my own, would like to extend warm congratulations to you and the WPK Central Committee.

It is our pleasure to see the Korean people, closely rallied around the WPK, strive to build a thriving socialist nation under your leadership, true to the behest of Comrade Kim Jong Il.

China and the DPRK are friendly neighbors sharing the same mountain and rivers.

It is the consistent policy of the party and government of China to steadily develop the traditional friendly and cooperative relations with the DPRK.

We will continue to boost the traditional Sino-DPRK friendship, expand the working cooperation in several fields and seek joint promotion of the lasting peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula and the rest of Northeast Asia, thus joining the Korean comrades in successfully boosting and building up the Sino-DPRK relations provided and developed by the leaders of elder generations of the two parties and two countries.

I sincerely hope that you and the WPK will lead the Korean people to make constant, fresh and greater success in building a thriving nation.