President Jiang Zemin Monday started his three-day official goodwill visit to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), expressing support for reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula.

"China supports the reconciliation of the South and North as well as the progress in DPRK's relations with US, Japan, European Union and other countries,'' Jiang said in the meeting with Kim Jong-il, chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK and General Secretary of the Worker's Party of Korea (WPK) Central Committee.

Jiang, also general secretary of the Central Committee of Communist Party of China (CPC), said that as a close neighbour of the peninsula, China upholds a fundamental principle of helping maintain peace and stability in the peninsula.

He noted that China would continue to support the efforts made by the North and South of Korea to further improve relations and achieve independence, peace and reunification.

He added that it would welcome the DPRK's establishment and improvement of relations with other countries.

Kim valued Jiang's "Three Represents'' theory and said that China has made great achievements in building socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Kim said the DPRK supports the one-China policy and expressed the hope that China would succeed in its cause of reunification.

Kim said that it is a consistent policy of the WPK and the DPRK Government to strengthen and further the traditional friendship between the two countries, adding that Jiang's visit to Pyongyang was highly significant.

Kim said he believed that Jiang's visit will be very helpful in strengthening bilateral co-operation in the new century, noting that further development of DPRK-China relations is not only in the interests of both peoples but also contributes to the peace and stability in the region and the world at large.

In order to assist the DPRK to surmount the difficulties brought about by serious natural adversities, China provides its neighbour with food and other materials free of charge.

Jiang arrived Monday and was warmly received at the airport by Kim Jong-il. Tens of thousands of citizens of Pyongyang provided the most enthusiastic reception, lining both sides of the street to welcome Jiang, reflecting the profound traditional friendship between the two nations and peoples.

At the banquet held by Kim Jong-il, Jiang made a speech in which he said he was delighted to see substantial progress and new achievements made by the Korean people in economic construction, reunification of the North and the South, foreign affairs and in other fields.

"Your great success will win more and more sympathy, understanding, support and appreciation from the international community,'' said Jiang.

He emphasized that China is willing to develop relations with the DPRK based on "inheriting the tradition, facing the future, developing good neighbour relations and friendship, and strengthening co-operation.''

Similar implications regarding the significance of Jiang's visit for Beijing-Pyongyang ties came from Chinese analysts.

They believed that Jiang's visit has further symbolism and that is to urge the US and Japan to attach importance to their relations with Pyongyang.

"It is China's traditional position on the Korean Peninsula to support the DPRK to improve relations with US and Japan,'' said Yu Shaohua, a senior research fellow at the Institute for International Studies.

She said with further development of DPRK-China and DPRK-Russia relations, the balance on the diplomatic landscape on the peninsula will be broken if the US and Japan do not normalize ties with DPRK.

"Pyongyang's bilateral ties with Washington and Tokyo lag far behind in terms of equilibrium,'' she said, noting that these bilateral relations should be improved and normalized as soon as possible from a Chinese point of view.

Yu Meihua, a senior research fellow at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, said Jiang's visit will support the DPRK in its negotiations with the US and Japan.

"The visit could give positive impetus to DPRK-US talks on establishing diplomatic ties,'' she said.

Tuesday, Jiang is scheduled to meet Kim Yong-nam, president of the presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK and Premier Hong Song-nam.

(China Daily 09/04/2001)