At the meeting Li Changchun said that General Secretary Kim Jong Il visited China twice last year, meeting with President Hu Jintao and further boosting the bilateral friendly relations, adding that this year he received State Councilor Meng Jianzhu during his visit to the DPRK and enjoyed a concert given by the Unhasu Orchestra together with the staff members of the Chinese embassy in Pyongyang and even arranged a dinner for them on the occasion of the January 15th of the lunar calendar.

This powerfully demonstrated the vitality of the Sino-DPRK friendship before the whole world and greatly encouraged the people of the two countries, he noted.

It is the invariable policy of the Chinese party and government to steadily consolidate and develop the friendly relations between China and the DPRK and this is the strategic choice of both countries, he stressed.

2012 is a significant year which will mark the centenary of birth of President Kim Il Sung, he said, expressing belief that the Korean people under the wise leadership of Kim Jong Il would make this year a shining year when they will make a bigger step forward in the efforts to build a thriving nation.