Kim Jong-il, top leader of North Korea, met visiting Vice Premier Wu Yi and her accompanying government delegation on Saturday. 

During the meeting at the Guesthouse of Paekhwawon in Pyongyang, Wu conveyed President Hu Jintao's congratulations on the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), and his hope that the North Korean people would make greater progress in building the country. 

"We are willing to make unremitting efforts together with North Korea to push forward the traditional friendship under the new circumstance," Hu said. 

Kim said the fact that China sent a government delegation to mark the anniversary showed that the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese government attach high importance to bilateral ties. 

Kim said North Korea will never forget the selfless aid provided by China. 

China's development makes an important contribution to peace and stability of the region and the world as a whole, Kim said, adding that North Korea will firmly support the one-China policy. 

Wu spoke highly of the countries' friendship, saying China is willing to push it to a higher level. 

Earlier in the day, Wu met with North Korean Premier Pak Bong-ju. She also paid tribute to North Korea's late leader Kim Il-sung (1912-1994) at the Kumsusan Memorial Palace. 

Wu arrived in Pyongyang on Saturday for a three-day official goodwill visit with a delegation that included Commerce Minister Bo Xilai.

Also on Saturday, senior CPC leader Jia Qinglin attended a reception in Beijing to mark the WPK's founding anniversary and extended warm congratulations to it.

Before the reception, he held talks with North Korea's Ambassador to China Choe Jin-su. 

(Xinhua News Agency October 9, 2005)