Senior Chinese officials Wen Jiabao, Jia Qinglin, Li Keqiang, He Guoqiang and Zhou Yongkang offered their condolences on the death of DPRK leader Kim Jong Il at the Embassy of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in Beijing Wednesday.

All are members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee. The other four members of the Standing Committee have also been to the DPRK Embassy to mourn Kim Jong Il's death.

On Tuesday, President Hu Jintao, who is also General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, expressed his condolences at the embassy.

Hu was accompanied by Wu Bangguo, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and the top legislator, Li Changchun, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, and Vice President Xi Jinping, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

Hu stressed that it is the persistent policy of the Chinese Government and the CPC to continuously consolidate and develop the traditionally friendly relations with the DPRK.

The late DPRK leader passed away from "great mental and physical strain" at 08:30 a.m. December 17 (2330 GMT Friday), on a train during a field guidance tour, the DPRK's official Korean Central News Agency reported Monday.

(Xinhua News Agency December 21, 2011)