Kim Jong Un , general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, received a congratulatory message from Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, on February 23.

The message said:

Upon receiving the good news that the Ninth Congress of the WPK elected you, Comrade Kim Jong Un , as general secretary of the WPK again, I extend warm congratulations and heartfelt greeting to you, Comrade General Secretary, the Central Committee of the WPK, all the members of the WPK and other Korean people on behalf of the Central Committee of the CPC and on my own behalf.

Since the end of the Eighth Congress of the WPK, the Central Committee of the WPK headed by General Secretary Kim Jong Un has ceaselessly achieved new successes in the drive for socialist construction in the DPRK by rallying and guiding the Korean people and making strenuous efforts.

Your reelection as general secretary of the WPK is an expression of deep trust of the Korean Party, government and people in you and their sincere support for you, Comrade General Secretary.

It is of weighty significance that the Ninth Congress of the WPK was victoriously convened at a time when the work of the Party and the state of the DPRK has entered a crucial stage for ensuring the continuity of history and carving out the future.

I sincerely hope that the WPK and the Korean people will steadily open up a new phase in accelerating the socialist cause of the DPRK on the occasion of the current Congress under the strong leadership of the Central Committee of the WPK headed by you, Comrade General Secretary.

China and the DPRK are friendly socialist neighbours helping each other.

It is the consistent and unshakable policy of the Chinese party and government to successfully defend, consolidate and develop the China-DPRK relations.

In recent years, I met you, Comrade General Secretary, several times to powerfully steer the successful development of the China-DPRK relations.

Given that the phase of changes, unprecedented in the past one hundred years, is undergoing rapid development and the international situation is entangled in complexity, I am willing to add a new chapter to the China-DPRK friendship, contribute to the cause of socialist construction in the two countries, promote the welfare of the peoples of the two countries and their friendship and facilitate regional and global peace, stability, development and prosperity by leading, together with you, Comrade General Secretary, the relevant sectors and regions of the two sides to successfully translate into practice the important common understanding reached by us.

I wish your work all smooth sailing.

I also sincerely hope that the WPK will achieve bigger successes ceaselessly.

KCNA