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.