BEIJING, April 21 (Xinhuanet) -- Jiang Zemin, chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC),met here with Kim Jong Il, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and chairman of theNational Defense Commission of the Democratic People's Republic ofKorea (DPRK), a spokesman with the International Department of theCPC Central Committee said Wednesday.

    Jiang extended welcome to Kim and expressed 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 that 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.

    Under the complicated and volatile international circumstances,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 the 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 DPRK-China friendly and cooperative relations.

    He said the DPRK side is willing to join hands with China's newcollective leadership to continuously open up new prospect of DPRK-China friendly and cooperative relations.

    Kim paid an unofficial visit to China from April 19 to 21 at the invitation of General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and Chinese President Hu Jintao. Enditem