Kim Jong Il Pays Unofficial Visit to Central and South China
Korean Central News Agency of DPRK via Korea News Service (KNS)
Pyongyang, January 19 (KCNA) - Kim Jong Il, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK, paid an unofficial visit to the People's Republic of China, from January 10 to 18 at the invitation of Hu Jintao, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and president of the People's Republic of China. He was accompanied by Pak Pong Ju, premier of the DPRK Cabinet, Kang Sok Ju, first vice-minister of Foreign Affairs, Pak Nam Gi and Ri Kwang Ho, department directors of the WPK Central Committee, and Ro Tu Chol, vice-premier of the DPRK Cabinet.
Party and state leaders and people of China warmly welcomed Kim Jong Il visiting China again at the outset of the new year for the purpose of boosting the DPRK-China friendship and accorded him cordial hospitality with utmost sincerity.
He toured the central and southern parts of the PRC.
The first leg of his visit was Wuhan and Yichang cities of Hubei Province.
Huang Ju, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and vice-premier of the State Council, kindly greeted Kim Jong Il in Wuhan upon the authorization of General Secretary Hu Jintao and the CPC Central Committee.
Also present to greet Kim Jong Il were senior party and government cadres of Hubei Province and Wuhan City including Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Secretary of the Hubei Provincial Committee of the CPC Yu Zhengsheng, Governor of Hubei Province Luo Qingquan, Secretary of the Wuhan City Committee of the CPC Miao Yu and Mayor of Wuhan Li Xiansheng.
Kim Jong Il met and conversed with Huang Ju.
Huang Ju, on behalf of General Secretary Hu Jintao, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, warmly welcomed Kim Jong Il on a visit to Wuhan City which President Kim Il Sung visited several times.
Huang said that the visit of Kim Jong Il to Wuhan City associated with the history of Sino-DPRK friendship is greatly conducive to further glorifying the friendly relations between the two countries provided by the leaders of the old generation.
Pointing out that thanks to the leadership of Kim Jong Il the DPRK has made signal achievements in the building of a great prosperous powerful nation and various other fields, Huang sincerely congratulated him on them.
Kim Jong Il said he was pleased to visit Wuhan City, expressing his thanks to leading officials and people of Hubei Province and Wuhan City for their warm reception.
Huang Ju hosted a grand banquet in honor of Kim Jong Il.
Those present at the banquet raised toasts to the stronger friendly relations between the two parties and the two countries and to the health of the leaders of the two parties and the two states.
Kim Jong Il visited the Changfei Optical Fiber and Optical Cable Company and Fenghuo Communications Co., Ltd. in company with Huang Ju. He also visited the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River in Yichang, Hubei Province, guided by Yu Zhengsheng, Wang Jiarui, head of the International Liaison Department of the CPC Central Committee, and Luo Qingquan, Wu Donghe, Chinese ambassador to the DPRK, and leading officials from Beijing and the province.
The world's leading power station now under construction is a gigantic structure to be recorded in the Chinese history, he said, adding that this is a striking manifestation of the resourcefulness and strength of the Chinese people.
The next leg of his visit was Guangzhou, Zhuhai and Shenzhen of Guangdong Province.
Li Changchun, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, greeted Kim Jong Il in Guangzhou. He was also greeted by Zhang Dejiang, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Committee of the CPC, Huang Huahua, governor of Guangdong Province, Lin Shusen, secretary of the Guangzhou City Committee of the CPC, Zhang Guangning, mayor of Guangzhou, and other leading party and government officials of Guangdong Province and Guangzhou City. Kim Jong Il met and had a cordial conversation with Li Changchun.
Hu Jintao, who sets great store by the Sino-DPRK friendship, dispatched me to Guangzhou to specially receive Kim Jong Il, Li said, warmly welcoming his Guangzhou visit on behalf of the central collective leadership of the CPC.
Li, recalling with deep emotion his unforgettable Korea visit in 2004, once again expressed greetings of profound thanks to Kim Jong Il for showing profound care and benevolence for him.
Kim Jong Il's four visits to China in the new century are events of historic significance in improving the relations between the two countries, Li said, highly praising him for making a great contribution to boosting the Sino-Korean friendship.
Kim Jong Il said he was deeply impressed by the changes that have taken place in the Guangdong province, hoping that it would further prosper. Li Changchun gave a grand banquet in honor of Kim Jong Il.
He, in company with Li, visited the Weichuangrixin Electronics Company, the Lianzong Stainless Steel Company Ltd., the Guangzhou International Conference and Exhibition Centre and a metro and cruised the Zhu River aboard a sightseeing boat to be briefed on the construction in Guangzhou City. He visited Guangzhou, Zhuhai and Shenzhen cities, guided by leading officials from Beijing and the province including Zhang Dejiang, member of the Political Bureau of the C.C., CPC and secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Committee of the CPC; Wang Jiarui, head of the International Liaison Department of the C.C., CPC; Huang Huahua, governor of Guangdong Province; and Wu Donghe, Chinese ambassador to the DPRK. While staying there he visited different units including Zhongshan University, Xinghai Conservatory and the Dongsheng Farm Company Ltd. in Guangzhou, the Software Development Centre of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, the Gree Air Conditioner Production Company and the Eastcompeace Smart Card Co., Ltd. in Zhuhai and Yantian Port, Huawei Technologies, and the Dazu Laser Science and Technology Co., Ltd. in Shenzhen. He was accorded whole-hearted warm welcome by the Chinese people wherever he went.
During his stay he enjoyed a music and dance performance specially prepared by artistes from Beijing and Guangdong Province together with leading officials of the province and Shenzhen city including Zhang Dejiang, secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Committee of the CPC, and Huang Huahua, governor of the province.
The artistes put on the stage colorful numbers including orchestra "Prelude to Celebration", children's chorus "Wanlihua", Urheen solo "Horse Race", ballet "We Sing of Huang He River", display of national dresses "Beautiful Rainbow in the East", song and dance "To Greet Friend from Place Far Away" and Korean songs "Soldier Lives Near the General", "The Flower Girl" and "Balloonflower."
Kim Jong Il sent a floral basket to the performers, congratulating them on their successful performance.
Zhang Dejiang hosted a banquet in honor of Kim Jong Il.
While making a long journey from the central part of China to its southern part, he learned in detail with the thoughts and feelings of the hard-working and resourceful Chinese people and the economic, cultural and all other fields.
The unofficial visit paid by him to China in the beginning of the new year for the purpose of steadily boosting the DPRK-China friendship proved successful thanks to the special care and cordial hospitality of Hu Jintao and the party and government of China.
Kim Jong Il expressed satisfaction over his fruitful visit and thanked for the cordial hospitality accorded to him by the leading officials of the party and government of China.
His historic visit to the central and southern parts of China will be recorded in the history of the DPRK-China friendship as one more event that provided an occasion of bringing about a fresh turn in boosting this traditional friendship.
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