Senior Chinese leaders Wen Jiabao, Jia Qinglin, Li Keqiang, He Guoqiang and Zhou Yongkang offered their condolences on the demise of Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) leader Kim Jong-il at the DPRK embassy in Beijing on Wednesday.
Chinese leaders Wen Jiabao (L Front), Jia Qinglin (4th L), Li Keqiang (3rd L), He Guoqiang (2nd L) and Zhou Yongkang (1st L) offer condolence on the death of Kim Jong-il, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), at the DPRK Embassy in Beijing, capital of China, Dec 21, 2011. (Photo: Xinhua)
All are members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.
Wen said comrade Kim Jong-il was a great party and state leader for the DPRK and an intimate friend of the Chinese people, adding that Kim had made important contributions to developing China-DPRK friendly and cooperative relations.
Wen expressed the belief that the people of the DPRK, under the leadership of the Worker's Party of Korea and comrade Kim Jong-un, will definitely turn their grief into strength and make new progress in their drive to build the socialist country.
On Tuesday, President Hu Jintao, who is also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, expressed his condolences at the DPRK embassy.
Hu was accompanied by fellow members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee - Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, Li Changchun, and Vice-President Xi Jinping.
The late DPRK leader passed away on Dec 17, the DPRK's official KCNA news agency reported on Monday.
Observers have played down fears of immediate turbulence in Pyongyang, saying a well-planned succession will serve to fill the vacuum left by the passing of Kim Jong-il, who had led the DPRK since 1994.
Official announcements on Monday from DPRK media, which revealed Kim had died two days previously at the age of 69, made it clear that his youngest son and heir apparent Jong-un was now firmly in power.
"I think there will be no immediate turbulence in the DPRK's internal politics or foreign affairs," said Paik Hak-soon of Seoul's Sejong Institute think tank.
The DPRK media, meanwhile, urged people to follow the leadership of Jong-un, with the state news agency calling him the "great successor".
"This clearly indicates that Jong-un is already firmly in power, and all key officials under Kim Jong-il decided in the past two days since Kim's death to support Kim Jong-un as the new leader," Paik said.
"The (DPRK)'s top guys have already sorted out everything, and the government seems to be stable under the new leadership. I don't expect any major turbulence or power struggle within the government in the foreseeable future.
"The Kim Jong-un era has already started."
Baek Seung-joo of the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses said the DPRK had fully prepared for Kim's death since his August 2008 stroke.
Kim Tae-hyun, a professor at Seoul's Chung-Ang University, agreed that the son appears to be in charge with military and party backing - and that the new leadership has a vested interest in maintaining stability.
