During the week there will take place colorful events including goods exhibition, tourism exhibition, fine arts and craftwork exhibition and art performance.

The opening ceremony was held in a stadium in Dandong on Friday.

Present at the ceremony were a vice-chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, vice-governor of Liaoning Province, officials of the party, government, culture, economy and trade fields of the Province and Dandong City and citizens. Liu Hongcai, Chinese ambassador to the DPRK, and foreign diplomatic envoys here also attended.

A DPRK delegation to the events headed by Hong Kil Nam, vice-chairman of the North Phyongan Provincial People's Committee, Kim Kwang Hun, DPRK consul-general in Shenyang, and Choe Un Bok, chairwoman of the General Association of Koreans in China, also took part in the ceremony.

An opening address was made to be followed by congratulatory speeches.

The speakers said that the events of week for DPRK-China friendship will offer another important occasion in the history of the development of the friendly relations in the border city of Dandong linked by the same mountain and rivers with the DPRK.

It is the steadfast stand of the parties and governments of the two countries to invariably develop the traditional DPRK-China friendly and cooperative relations which were provided by the leaders of elder generations and weathered all sorts of ordeals, they stressed.

They expressed belief that the events will make contributions to strengthening mutual understandings and trust and putting the relations of friendship, cooperation and exchange between the bordering areas of the two countries on a higher stage.

A music and dance performance by the Mansudae Art Troupe and a reception were given to mark the opening of the friendship week on the same day.