Pyongyang, January 1 (KCNA) -- Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, received a message of greeting from Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and president of the People's Republic of China (PRC), on Jan. 1.

In the message, Xi Jinping extended sincere greetings and best wishes to the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un, the Workers' Party of Korea, the government of the DPRK and the Korean people on behalf of the Communist Party of China, the government of China and the Chinese people and on his own behalf on the occasion of the new year 2024.

The message said that 2024 is the year marking the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the PRC and the DPRK.

He said in the message that he would declare with Kim Jong Un that 2024 would be set as a "year of China-DPRK friendship", and that joint celebrations would be held in all fields to inject fresh vitality into the development of China-DPRK relations.

China and the DPRK are the friendly neighbors linked by the same mountain and rivers, the message said, and went on:

The China-DPRK friendship, personally provided by the leaders of the elder generations of the two parties and two countries, has been consolidated in the bloody revolutionary struggle, and steadily deepened in the course of socialist construction. It has also overcome the trials of the ever-changing international situation.

In recent years, the traditional China-DPRK friendly and cooperative relations have entered a new historic period, thanks to the joint efforts and encouragement of both sides.

Both sides have maintained close strategic communication, intensified working-level cooperation and strengthened coordination and cooperation in multilateral international issues, thus promoting the continuous development of the China-DPRK relations and defending the common interests of the two countries and regional peace and stability.

Under the new situation in the new period, the Chinese party and government are consistently dealing with the China-DPRK relations at a strategic level and from a long-term angle.

It is our steadfast policy to successfully defend, consolidate and develop the traditional China-DPRK friendly and cooperative relations.

The Chinese side, together with the DPRK side, will add glory to the traditional friendship, deepen strategic trust, and promote exchange and cooperation with the DPRK on the occasions of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries and the "year of China-DPRK friendship", thus encouraging China-DPRK relations to advance and achieve greater development along with the times. By doing so, we are willing to make a ceaseless new contribution to jointly opening a new chapter of China-DPRK friendship, providing better welfare to the peoples of the two countries and safeguarding regional peace and stability.

The message wished the DPRK prosperity, and its people happiness and well-being.

It also wished the "year of China-DPRK friendship" good success. -0-