On November 17, 2011, Xi Jinping, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) Central Committee and Vice President met with a youth delegation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) headed by Ri Yong Chol, First Secretary of the Central Committee of Kim il Sung Socialist Youth League.
On behalf of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) Central Committee, Xi welcomed the youth group. Since diplomatic ties were forged in 1949, China and the DPRK have consolidated good-neighborly friendship, enhanced mutually beneficial cooperation with mutual trust and support and contributed to regional peace and stability, he said. He hailed the current bilateral ties and cooperation achievements, saying they show the vigor and vitality of China-DPRK ties. China will constantly consolidate and develop the friendly cooperative relations in the spirit of "inheriting the tradition, facing the future, maintaining the good-neighborliness and friendship and enhancing cooperation" so as to preserve and promote regional peace, stability and prosperity.
Xi emphasized that youth are the future of nations as well as the inheritors and the builders of friendly relations between the two countries. Promoting youth exchanges and carrying forward China-DPRK friendship is a great historical mission for youth organizations of the two countries. He hoped that the two countries' youth organizations will strengthen exchanges, deepen cooperation and learn from each other, to contribute to further developing China-DPRK traditional friendship.
Ri Yong Chol said the DPRK and China are friendly neighbors linked by mountains and rivers. The older generations of leaders of the two countries forged profound friendship, laying a solid foundation for the development of bilateral ties. Under the care of the top leaders of the two countries, DPRK-China friendly cooperation has entered a new stage of development. Youth are successors of friendship between both sides, he said, expressing hope that youth organizations will further enhance exchanges and contribute to the development of bilateral friendship.
The youth delegation is visiting China at the invitation of China's Communist Youth League Central Committee. Wang Jiarui, Minister of International Department of CPC Central Committee, First Secretary Lu Hao of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League of China and other officials attended the meeting.