Kim Jong Il, general secretary ofthe Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and chairman of the National Defense Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), paid an unofficial visit to China from April 19 to 21 at the invitation of Hu Jintao, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China(CPC) and Chinese president.     A spokesman with the International Department of the CPC Central Committee made the announcement here Wednesday. During the visit, Hu held talks with Kim at the Great Hall of the People and hosted a welcoming banquet in honor of Kim and other DPRK guests. Chairman of the CPC Central Military CommissionJiang Zemin met with Kim. Member of the Political Bureau Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee and Chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress Wu Bangguo, Member of the Political Bureau Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee and Premier Wen Jiabao, Member of the Political Bureau Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee and Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Jia Qinglin, and Member of the Political Bureau Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee and Vice-President Zeng Qinghong met with Kim respectively. Leaders of the two parties and the two countries, amid a cordial, friendly and candid atmosphere, briefed each other on their respective domestic conditions, and exchanged views and reached wide-ranging consensus on further developing the relations betweenthe two parties and the two countries, international and regional situations and the nuclear issue of the Korean Peninsula.     Hu extended warm welcome to Kim, saying that this visit fully demonstrates the great importance attached by Kim, the WPK and theDPRK government, to the development of the relations between the two parties and the two countries. Kim expressed warm congratulations on China's new collective leadership with Comrade Hu Jintao as general secretary. Kim said he was very happy to meetwith Hu again.     Leaders of the two parties and the two countries spoke positively of the China-DPRK relations. Hu said that in the new century, both China and the DPRK, in the spirit of inheriting the tradition, facing up to the future, building good-neighborly friendship and strengthening cooperation, have made positive efforts for the development of bilateral relations in the new era.     Hu said there has been a sound momentum for bilateral high-level exchanges, bilateral exchanges and cooperation at various levels and in different fields have become ever more active, and bilateral economic and trade cooperation have continuously witnessed new progresses. The Chinese side is satisfied with the development of the friendly and cooperative relations between the two parties and the two countries, Hu said.     Hu said this year is the 55th anniversary of China-DPRK diplomatic relations, and reviewing the development of bilateral relations in the past half a century, China feels deeply that the friendship and cooperation between the two parties and the two countries have been rooted and even firmer as time goes by.     He said China's new collective leadership treasures the China-DPRK friendship cultivated with care by leaders of elder generations of the two countries, and will continue making effortsfor the consolidation and development of bilateral friendship.     Hu said under the new circumstances, to raise bilateral friendship and cooperation to a new level in a bid to continuouslyinvigorate bilateral traditional friendship, the Chinese side suggests that both sides further strengthen high-level exchanges between the two parties and the two countries to enhance mutual understanding and trust, strengthen exchanges and deepen bilateraloverall cooperation in various fields, strengthen communication, consultations and cooperation on major international and regional issues, and further develop bilateral economic and trade cooperation.     Agreeing with Hu, Kim said this year is the 55th anniversary ofbilateral diplomatic ties and it is a year of significance for thedevelopment of bilateral relations at the beginning of the new century.     He said it is the common aspiration and will of the two partiesand two peoples to further strengthen and develop the DPRK-China friendship. The history in the past half century has proved that the basis of bilateral relations is as firm as monolith.     Kim said China's new collective leadership, after taking officefor more than a year, has stuck to the consistent policy on consolidating and developing bilateral relations and made positiveefforts to this end, which made the DPRK side feel greatly encouraged.     The DPRK side will join the Chinese side in inheriting the tradition of close cooperation between the two parties and the twocountries and making new efforts for consolidating and developing bilateral friendly and cooperative relations, Kim said.     Hu spoke positively of the DPRK's achievements in recent years.He said that in recent years, the DPRK party and people, under Kim's leadership, have carried forward the spirit of self-reliance and arduous work, overcome many difficulties, scored great accomplishment in the process of building a strong and prosperous country, and continuously made new progresses in improving the external environment, with which the Chinese side is sincerely delighted.

Hu reiterated that China supports the DPRK party's and people'sadherence to its socialist development direction, the DPRK comrades' active exploration of a development path suited to its own conditions, the independent and peaceful reunification proposed and adhered to by the DPRK side, and the DPRK's efforts to improve the international environment.

    Kim expressed his admiration for the remarkable achievements ofChina's new collective leadership in the great cause of realizing rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

    Kim said the DPRK side is very pleased to see that China's new collective leadership, under the guidance of the important thoughtof Three Represents and in the principles of people first and governance for the people, has closely united and led the whole Chinese people in winning the fight against the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic in a very short period of time, achieving a rapid economic growth, succeeding in launching its first manned spacecraft, and noticeably increasing its international status and influence.

    The DPRK side believes that China is bound to realize its strategic goal of building a comprehensively well-off society by year 2020, Kim said. He reiterated that the DPRK party and government will, as always, support China's position on the Taiwanissue, wishing China an early completion of its reunification cause.

    Leaders of the two parties and the two countries exchanged in-depth views on peacefully solving the nuclear issue of the Korean Peninsula. Both sides fully reaffirmed the positive results of theBeijing tri-party talks and two rounds of six-party talks, and agreed to continuing the position on solving the issue through dialogues and in a peaceful way, and jointly pushing forward the six-party talks process, so as to make contributions to the eventual peaceful solution.

    Hu stressed that China, as a neighbor of the Korean Peninsula, has been committed to safeguarding peace and stability on the peninsula, supports a nuclear-weapon-free Korean Peninsula, supports a peaceful solution to the nuclear issue through dialogues, and upholds that the DPRK's rational concerns should beaddressed.

    Kim highly valued the Chinese party's and government's positivestance on and important contributions to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. He said the DPRK side sticks to the final nuclear-weapon-free goal and its basic position on seeking a peaceful solution through dialogues has not changed.

    The DPRK side will continue to take a patient and flexible manner and actively participate in the six-party talks process, and make its own contributions to the progress of the talks, Kim said.

    Jiang Zemin expressed welcome to Kim and his appreciation for Kim's positive efforts for and important contributions to maintaining and developing the friendly and cooperative relations between the two parties and the two countries.

    He said he feels gratified with the good inheritance and development of the Sino-DPRK traditional friendship fostered by the leaders of elder generations of the two countries, under jointefforts of both sides.

    With the complicated and volatile international circumstance, frequent, in-depth and frank exchanges and communication between leaders of the two parties and the two countries play an importantand indispensable role in strengthening bilateral cooperation and coordination, Jiang said.

    Jiang voiced his belief that China's new collective leadership will work with the DPRK comrades to continue their efforts to makenew contributions to the development of bilateral friendship in the new century.

    Kim said the third generation of China's leadership with Jiang Zemin at the core made great contributions to the development of the DPRK-China friendly and cooperative relations. He said the DPRK side is willing to join hands with China's new collective leadership to continuously open up new prospect of the DPRK-China friendly and cooperative relations.

    Wu Bangguo said he is glad to meet with Kim again. He said thatduring his visit to the DPRK last October, he felt the deep traditional friendship between China and the DPRK and witnessed the touching scene of the DPRK people's hard work and unity under Kim's leadership. He believed that the DPRK side will continue to make progress in exploring a development path suited to its own conditions.

Wen Jiabao reviewed bilateral friendly exchanges and cooperation in various fields and at different levels since the two countries forged diplomatic ties 55 years ago, and exchanged views with Kim on further developinging bilateral friendship and cooperation, especially economic and trade cooperation.

    Wen said the Chinese side will actively encourage its enterprises to conduct reciprocal cooperation in various forms with the DPRK side. He also briefed Kim on China's current economic development situation.

    Jia Qinglin recalled with pleasure his visit to the DPRK in 2002, and expressed his heart-felt delight with the DPRK people's achievement in building a socialist development path of its own style. He also expressed his wishes that the DPRK's economy will be further developed, its society further advanced and its people's life continuously improved under the leadership of Kim.

    Zeng Qinghong expressed his congratulations on the successful talks and meetings between Kim and Hu and other leaders of the Chinese party and the country. Zeng spoke positively of the relations between the two parties and the two countries, and introduced the CPC's strengthening of party-building in the new period.

    Kim said he is glad to meet with China's new collective leadership. He extended his congratulations to the Chinese side, saying that the Chinese people, led by China's new collective leadership, successfully defeated SARS epidemic and other natural disasters and managed to maintain a fast economic growth at the same time.

    He said the DPRK and China should learn from each other in manyaspects including agricultural development and city construction. He also expressed his heart-felt wishes that China will make greater achievements in its lofty cause of building a comprehensively well-off society, with the guidance of the spirit of the CPC's 16th National Congress.

    The DPRK side expressed appreciation for China's assistance to the DPRK to support its economic construction.

    Kim invited Hu to visit the DPRK at his convenience. Hu accepted Kim's invitation with pleasure.

    Upon Kim's departure, Hu went to the Diaoyutai State Guesthouseto bid farewell to Kim.

    Memember of the Political Bureau Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee and Chinese Vice-Premier Huang Ju greeted Kim atDiaoyutai after Kim arrived in Beijing.

    Participating in the talks and attending the banquet on the Chinese side were Zeng Qinghong, member of the Political Bureau Standing Committee of the CPC central Committee and Chinese vice-president, Wang Gang, alternate member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and member of the Secretariat of the CPCCentral Committee, Tang Jiaxuan, Chinese state councilor, Wang Jiarui, head of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, and Dai Bingguo, vice-foreign minister.

    Also attending the banquet were Huang Ju, member of the Political Bureau Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee and Chinese vice-premier, Wu Guanzheng, member of the Political Bureau Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee and secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, Li Changchun, member of the Political Bureau Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee, Luo Gan, member of the Political Bureau Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee, Liu Qi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee, Guo Boxiong, member of the Political Bureau of CPC Central Committee and vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, Zeng Peiyan, member of the Political Bureau of CPC Central Committee and Chinese vice-premier, and Wu Donghe, Chinese ambassador to the DPRK.

    Liu Yunshan, member of the Political Bureau of CPC Central Committee and member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, and He Guoqiang, member of the Political Bureau of CPC Central Committee and member of the Secretariat of the CPC CentralCommittee, also attended the meeting between Zeng Qinghong and KimJong Il.

    Kim's entourage included Member of the National Defense Commission and Chief of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army Kim Yong Chun, Premier of Cabinet of the DPRK Pak Bong Ju, Vice Chairman of National Defense Commission Yon Hyong Muk and First Vice Foreign Minister Kang Sok Ju. Kim Yong Chun and Kang Sok Ju also attended the talks between Hu Jintao and Kim Jong Il.

    During Kim's tour, he also visited Tianjin Municipality, accompanied by Zhang Lichang, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and secretary of the CPC Tianjin Municipal Committee.

    During the DPRK guests' visit to China, Premier of Cabinet of the DPRK Pak Bong Ju visited the Hancunhe village of Beijing's Fangshan District, accompanied by Liu Qi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee.

    Kim was satisfied with the results of his China tour and he extended his sincere gratitude to the Chinese side for the warm reception and hospitality.