On December 24, 2005, Vice Premier of the State Council Zeng Peiyan met in the Great Hall of the People with the delegation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) headed by its Vice Premier Ro Tu Chol.

Zeng made positive remarks over China-DPRK relations. He said with the care of the two countries' top leaderships and the joint efforts of both sides, new progress has been achieved in China-DPRK relations since the beginning of this year. The two sides have maintained the momentum of top-level exchanges of visits and bilateral economic and trade cooperation has been continuously expanded. China and the DPRK have maintained sound communication and cooperation on key regional and international issues such as the Korean Peninsula Nuclear Issue. To continuously consolidate and develop China-DPRK traditional friendly cooperative relations is a strategic guideline that the Party and government of China will firmly adhere to. In the new year, China would like to work with the DPRK to push forward bilateral relations in the spirit of "carrying on the tradition, orienting to the future, fostering good-neighborliness and enhancing cooperation".

Ro said the traditional friendly cooperative relations between the DPRK and China have entered into a new stage of development with the unveiling of the new century. Bilateral exchanges and cooperation are developing smoothly. The Party and government of the DPRK give top priority to DPRK-China relations and will firmly follow the important consensus reached between the top leaderships of the two countries to further promote bilateral mutually-beneficial cooperation and realize common development of the two nations.

Following the meeting, the two sides signed the Agreement between the Chinese and the DPRK Governments on the Joint Exploration of Offshore Oil.