A Chinese delegation arrived in Pyongyang Saturday to attend celebrations for the 65th anniversary of North Korea's ruling communist party and cement ties with its new leadership, the North's official media said.

The delegation led by a senior communist party member, Zhou Yongkang, was greeted at the airport by Kim Yong-Il, the Workers' Party of Korea's secretary in charge of international affairs, Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

During his three-day visit, Zhou will attend events celebrating the founding of the party and exchange views on relations and issues of common concern with the North Korean side, China's Xinhua news agency said.

Chinese President Hu Jintao on Saturday vowed to strengthen ties with the North as the traditional ally prepared to celebrate the key anniversary under a new leadership after Kim Jong-Il's youngest son, Kim Jong-Un, was confirmed as his eventual successor.

"We are willing to make joint efforts with the DPRK (North Korea) side to continuously promote China-DPRK relations to a new and higher level," China's Xinhua news agency quoted Hu as saying in his message.

"Sincerely wish the WPK move forward continuously, and wish the China-DPRK friendship pass from generation to generation," Hu said.

Vice President Xi Jinping had said on Friday China was ready to work closely with the North's new leadership to cement friendly cooperative ties, Xinhua reported.

"We are willing to join hands with the DPRK new leadership to further promote China-DPRK friendly cooperative relations," Xi was quoted as saying by Xinhua.

"We believe that under new leadership of the WPK, the DPRK people will see greater progress in developing its economy, improving living standards, achieving peaceful national unification and expanding foreign relations," he said.

Xi made the remarks while addressing a reception at the North Korean embassy in Beijing to mark the 65th anniversary of the founding of the ruling party.

North Korea is preparing to mark the anniversary on Sunday with a military parade involving 20,000 troops, missiles, tanks and other weaponry, and a colorful rally by some 100,000 civilians, Seoul's Yonhap news agency said.

The event comes less than two weeks after Kim Jong-Il made Jong-Un a four-star general and gave him two powerful communist party posts, confirming his status as eventual successor to the ailing 68-year-old father.

The communist state is armed with nuclear weapons but it is suffering from chronic food shortages and economic difficulties.

But KCNA on Saturday flaunted what it called "signal achievements" made in the North to greet the party's 65th birthday.

At least 250 new structures sprang up and major industrial establishments fulfilled this year's plans for the national economy ahead of schedule, it said.

KCNA also stressed the country's campaign to enhance productivity and efficiency with the help of computers was well underway.

The North has reportedly been spreading word that the junior Kim, who is allegedly well versed in computer technology, is leading this technological innovation.

The anniversary comes as tensions on the Korean peninsula remain high after Seoul and its allies said the North torpedoed a South Korean warship in March near the disputed inter-Korean sea border, killing 46 sailors.

The North angrily denied responsibility, threatening military retaliation.