North Korean leader Kim Jong Il says his country's relations with China will remain strong “no matter how frequently a generation is replaced by another.”

The remark, made late Tuesday at a dinner in Pyongyang for high-ranking Chinese diplomats, appeared to refer to Mr. Kim's reported plan to transfer power in North Korea to his youngest son, Kim Jong Un.

The younger Kim figured prominently in the dinner party, part of events marking the 50th anniversary of a friendship treaty between North Korea and China. Photographs from the dinner in official North Korean media consistently named Kim Jong Un first among all the guests in a sign of his rising status.

Analysts believe a series of recent visits to China by Kim Jong Il were aimed in part at securing Beijing's support for an eventual transfer of power to Kim Jong Un. The elder Mr. Kim is believed to have been in poor health since he suffered a stroke in 2008.

The Chinese delegation in Pyongyang is headed by Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang, who reportedly promised his country will push forward on a number of bilateral agreements. The countries recently began work on two joint economic development zones.

North Korean media quoted Kim Jong Il saying the countries have “powerfully demonstrated before the world the tremendous vitality” of their friendship.