North Korea says China has decided to provide aid to Pyongyang without compensation.

The North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency said Thursday that China reached the decision on Wednesday, adding that the move will encourage the North Korean people’s efforts to build a strong nation.

However, the report stopped short of elaborating the type or scope of aid Pyongyang will get from China.

The report comes amid rumors that the head of the international department of China’s Communist Party, Wang Jiarui, presented food aid as a gift to North Korean Kim Jong-il on behalf of Chinese President Hu Jintao. Wang visited Pyongyang late last month and personally delivered to Kim a letter from President Hu.