N.K., China leaders agree on economic cooperation

BEIJING (Yonhap News) ― North Korea and China agreed to strengthen economic cooperation during talks between their prime ministers in Beijing, China’s state news agency reported Tuesday.
The North’s Premier Choe Yong-rim and his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao “pledged to promote trade, investment and economic cooperation” between the nations during a meeting held on Monday night during Choe’s official visit to China, Xinhua news agency said.
“Under the context of the complicated regional and international situation, the parties, governments and peoples of China and the DPRK (North Korea)...made joint efforts to push forward bilateral ties,” Xinhua quoted Wen as telling Choe during the talks.
Wen hailed the North’s achievements in developing its economy and vowed that Beijing will continue to offer assistance within its capability, according to the report.
He then called on the two sides to speed up mutually beneficial cooperation in fields such as trade, investment, infrastructure, natural resources and agriculture, the report said.
Choe said Pyongyang will deepen cooperation with China in trade and infrastructure, and welcomes Chinese enterprises to invest and operate in the country.
The North Korean premier arrived in Beijing on Monday for an official goodwill trip, the North’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that day.
During the five-day trip, Choe is expected to meet Chinese President Hu Jintao and make a series of visits to Shanghai, Nanjing and Yangzhou.
He was accompanied by Vice Premier Ro Tu-chol and several economic officials, the KCNA reported from Beijing.