The pledge was made by Jiang Zemin, who is the general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China(CPC), president of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and chairman of the Central Military Commission, Zhu Rongji, premier of the PRC and Li Peng, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China in a joint congratulatory message to Kim Jong Il, general-secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea Central Committee, Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly and DPRK Premier Hong Song Nam, on the occasion of the 54th anniversary of the DPRK's founding.

In the message, the Chinese leaders said the DPRK, under the leadership of the late President Kim Il Sung, General-Secretary Kim Jong Il and the Workers' Party of Korea, has achieved great success in socialist revolution and construction through self-reliance and hard struggle in the past 54 years.

The DPRK has also achieved remarkable success in economic development, foreign relations and the cause of the independent and peaceful reunification of the motherland, and made important contributions to peace and stability in the region, the message said.

The traditional friendship between China and the DPRK, the friendly neighbors which are joined by mountains and rivers, has been further consolidated and developed in recent years through joint efforts of both sides, it said.

To continuously strengthen the traditional friendly relations of cooperation with the DPRK in all fields is the consistent and unwavering policy of the CPC and the Chinese government, the message said.

The Chinese leaders pledged continued efforts with DPRK leaders to make the great China-DPRK friendship last from generation to generation.

Chinese Foreign Minister Tung Jianxuan also sent a congratulatory message to his DPRK counterpart Paek Nam Sun on the occasion.

(Xinhua News Agency September 8, 2002)