Kim Jong Il Receives Chinese Delegations

Pyongyang, July 13 (KCNA) -- Kim Jong Il, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK, Tuesday received the Chinese friendship delegation led by Zhang Dejiang, vice-premier of the State Council, and the delegation of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the China-Korea Friendship Association headed by Wu Donghe, CKFA chairman, on a visit to the DPRK to attend the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the DPRK-China treaty of friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance.
The heads of the delegations presented gifts to Kim Jong Il and Kim Jong Un.
Zhang Dejiang said it was a great event in the history of the bilateral relations that Premier Zhou Enlai and President Kim Il Sung signed the treaty on July 11, 1961 50 years ago.
He paid highest tribute to Kim Jong Il, who has made a great contribution to steadily boosting the Sino-DPRK friendly and cooperative relations.
The Chinese party and government will steadfastly carry forward the baton of the traditional and special Sino-DPRK friendship and honestly implement the wide-ranging agreements reached between the top leaders of the two countries, he noted.
Welcoming the DPRK visit of the Chinese friendship delegations, Kim Jong Il said over the past half a century since the treaty was concluded the two parties and the two governments have supported and closely cooperated with each other in political, military, economic, cultural and other fields in the spirit of the treaty.
Kim Jong Il hosted a dinner for the guests.