PYONGYANG, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- A senior Chinese party official met with Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), on bilateral ties here Saturday.

Zhou Yongkang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, extended warm congratulations on the 65th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), which falls on Sunday.

He said, over the past 65 years, the WPK had led the DPRK people to be self-reliant and struggle arduously, overcome many difficulties and challenges to realize national independence and people's liberation, and make remarkable achievements in the cause of building DPRK-styled socialism.

The delegate conference of the WPK that convened shortly before is of great significance for the development of the party and the prosperity of the country, Zhou said.

"We believe that under the strong leadership of General Secretary Kim Jong Il, the new leadership of the WPK will surely lead the DPRK people to create a new situation and make new achievements in the course of building a strong country and realizing a self-ruled peaceful national reunification with more staunch steps," he said.

Zhou said the China-DPRK friendship was created and carefully nurtured by the old generations of the leaders of the two parties and the two countries.

Thanks to the unremitting efforts of generations over the past decades, the China-DPRK friendship had become stronger and more vigorous, he said.

The China-DPRK relationship had been further developed following the successful holding of friendly years by each other last year, with high-level communications becoming frequent, economic and trade cooperation deepening, cultural exchanges being active and strategic coordination strengthened, he said.

It had been proved that consolidating and advancing China-DPRK ties conformed with the common wishes of the two peoples and had become an irreversible guiding policy of the two sides, Zhou said.

"We are ready to make joint efforts with the DPRK side to seriously implement the important consensus reached by the top leaders of the two countries and deepen the China-DPRK friendly cooperative ties," he said.

Zhou also briefed Kim on the current Chinese national economic development and relevant measures that the CPC had taken to beef up its party's building.

Kim, on behalf of the DPRK's top leader Kim Jong Il and the Central Committee of the WPK, welcomed Zhou's visit.

He said the fact the Central Committee of the CPC and General Secretary Hu Jintao sent a senior delegation to the DPRK on the eve of the 65th birthday of the WPK showed the Chinese ruling party and the government paid great attention to inherit and develop the China-DPRK traditional friendship.

Kim highly appreciated the great achievements the Chinese people had made in building socialism with Chinese characteristics.

He said China's economic development, social stability, and the promotion of its international status had strongly demonstrated that the routes, guidelines and policies the CPC had taken were absolutely correct.

He hoped the Chinese people could put into practice the scientific concept of development under the CPC leadership with Hu as the general secretary and could make new and more achievements.

After the meeting, the two leaders attended a signing ceremony of an economic and technological cooperation agreement between the two countries.

Also on Saturday, Zhou laid wreathes to the Tower of Friendship between China and the DPRK in Pyongyang and paid tribute to the Chinese volunteer soldiers who died in fighting the 1950-1953 War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea.

"More than 100,000 soldiers of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army sacrificed their lives to safeguard peace and justice, and defend independence and freedom of the Chinese and DPRK people," he said.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army's entry into the DPRK to fight the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea.

Zhou also laid wreathes to the statue of late President Kim Il Sung at the Kumsusan Memorial Palace.

Zhou arrived here Saturday morning for a three-day official goodwill visit to the DPRK to further cement the traditional friendly ties.