In a congratulatory telegram, the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) congratulated the CPC on the convening of its 16th National Congress, and extended greetings through the congress to all CPC members and the Chinese people.

The telegram said the congress will become a historic and epoch-making event in the political life of the CPC and the Chinese people.

It said the Chinese people, under the correct leadership of the CPC with General Secretary Jiang Zemin at the core, have scored remarkable new achievements in the causes of building socialism with Chinese characteristics, realizing the reunification of the motherland, and safeguarding peace in Asia and the whole world.

The WPK Central Committee wished great success for the CPC's 16th National Congress, it said.

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) said in its message that the party is glad to see that the Chinese people, under the leadership of the CPC, have achieved great achievements in various fields and made new and significant advances in their modernization drive and in the cause of national reunification, by adhering to the policy of reform and opening up in recent years.

The message said the CPV believes that the new decisions to be made at the CPC National Congress will push ahead the cause of building socialism with Chinese characteristics to a new phase of development and guide China in smoothly reaching the strategic target for developing the nation into a moderately developed one in the middle of the 21st century.

The message said the CPV, the Vietnamese government and the Vietnamese people have all along attached importance to overall cooperation with their Chinese counterparts, and the Vietnamese side is happy about the continuously strengthened and growing bilateral relations in recent years.

The message also wished great success for the CPC's 16th National Congress.

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba said in its message that all members of the party and the Cuban people extend their sincerest and warmest congratulations to their Chinese counterparts on the occasion of the convening of the CPC's16th National Congress, and wish the Chinese side still greater success in implementing the resolutions of the congress.

As world stability and peace is now in danger, the Communist Party of Cuba is convinced that the CPC knows how to cope with the problems arising from the situation in their efforts to build their country into a highly efficient, economically strong and politically stable one.

In its congratulatory telegram, the Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party said the CPC's 16th National Congress is one of the new century marked with unity and success, which is of great significance for the building of a strong, modernized socialist country with Chinese characteristics.

It said the Lao People's Revolutionary Party is convinced that the congress will be a complete success and will point out the way forward for the Chinese people in their efforts to achieve still greater success in the cause of reform and opening up, so as to further raise the international status of China and fully display the great vitality of the system of socialism.

A number of other friendly parties and their leaders in the world, including those from Japan, the Republic of Korea, Russia, Belarus and Brazil have also sent congratulatory messages to the CPC on the occasion of the convening of its 16th National Congress.

(Xinhua News Agency November 8, 2002)