Officials from China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) vowed on Tuesday to deepen bilateral economic cooperation.

"The Chinese enterprises hope to cooperate with the DPRK in the fields of processing business, compensation trade, resource development and cooperative joint ventures," said Dong Songgen, vice chairman of the China Chamber of International Commerce (CCOIC), in the "China Pavilion Day" reception of the 11th Pyongyang International Trade Fair.

The four-day fair began on Monday.

A total of 125 Chinese companies took part in the fair. Among them were such well-known brands as Haier, Changhong, Konka, TCL as well as Jiangsu Jincheng Motors.

The fair is a good occasion for creating multilateral opportunities, said Ri Hak Gwon, chairman of the DPRK Chamber of Commerce.

He said the DPRK would continue to strive for the development of its economic cooperation with China on the basis of cherishing and strengthening the China-DPRK friendship.

Also present at the reception were Ri Myung San, vice minister of foreign trade of the DPRK, Liu Xiaoming, the Chinese ambassador to the DPRK, and officials and businessmen from both countries.

Strengthening the mutually beneficial cooperation will not only serve the common interest of the two peoples, but also contribute to the development and prosperity of the whole region, said Liu.

"China is willing to work with the DPRK to tap the potential for economic cooperation and promote the scale and level of cooperation so as to elevate China-DPRK trade and economic relations to a new high," he added.

(Xinhua News Agency May 13, 2008)