North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's special envoy met with Chinese President Xi Jinping Friday to deliver Pyongyang's willingness to re-join long-suspended six-party talks on ending its nuclear programs, news reports and sources said.
Choe Ryong-hae, the director of the General Political Bureau of North Korea's People's Army, met Xi at the Great Hall of the People on the final day of his three-day trip to China, China News Service said, adding Choe had delivered Kim Jong-un's personal letter to Xi.
During the meeting, Xi reconfirmed China's policy of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, the need to maintain peace and stability in the region and to resolve all outstanding issues through dialogue.
The Chinese president urged all sides to remain calm and exercise restraint for the resumption of the six-party talks.
Choe conveyed North Korea's willingness to open dialogue on the issue with "concerned parties," and Pyongyang's commitment to take active measures to ensure stability on the peninsula.
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Liu Yunshan (right), a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, meets with Choe Ryong-hae (left), the special envoy to the leader of the Democratic People`s Republic of Korea Kim Jong-un, in Beijing. (Xinhua-Yonhap News) |
The envoy stressed the need to maintain stable external conditions for the North's economic growth and improvement in the livelihood of its people, informed sources said.
He said that Pyongyang values its close ties with Beijing and hopes for ways to expand reations through exchanges at the highest level in an apparent reference to a possible visit to Beijing by Kim Jong-un, according to the sources.
The off-and-on six-party talks, which began in 2003, have been suspended since 2010. The talks involve the two Koreas, the United States, China, Japan and Russia.
Choe departed for Pyongyang right after his meeting with the Chinese leader, the sources said.
The Xi-Choe meeting took place on the last day of the envoy's surprise visit to China. In meetings with other Chinese officials, Choe reportedly outlined North Korea's willingness to follow China's suggestions to hold talks to ease tensions in the region.
Choe, a vice marshal, first made the remark about the North's willingness to talk during a meeting with Liu Yunshan, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China on Thursday. He made a similar comment in the meeting with Fan Changlong, vice chairman of China's Central Military Commission earlier in the day.
The envoy arrived in Beijing on Wednesday as China-North Korea ties hit a low ebb following Pyongyang's launch of a long range rocket last year and detonation of a nuclear device in February.
China then supported U.N. sanctions against the North. Beijing has reportedly taken steps to restrict financial transactions between the two countries that many observers said could hurt the isolated country relying heavily on China for food and fuel.
At the meeting between Choe and Fan, the Chinese official made clear that Beijing wants all sides to adhere to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and to resolve outstanding issues through dialogue, Chinese media reported.
Fan also said the North's nuclear weapons escalated tensions and endangered peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.
Choe's mention of the six-party talks may signal a shift in North Korea's policy and could alleviate tensions on the Korean Peninsula, observers said.
South Korea reserved comment, saying that it will first try to determine what has been discussed. Some experts downplayed the North's mention of talks, noting Pyongyang has often resorted to dialogue to extricate itself from difficult situations in the past without making any changes.
"The North, including its leader, has said on numerous occasions it will never give up nuclear weapons or missile arsenal," a Seoul government official said. He said if Pyongyang does not back down, future discussions will bog down and make no headway.
Earlier in the day unification ministry spokesman Kim Hyung-suk said Seoul's position toward Pyongyang remains steadfast and that other countries share this view.
"The North must give up its weapons of mass destruction and take actions that can win the trust of the international community," he said, adding Seoul has no plan to reward Pyongyang for bad behavior or brinkmanship.
(Yonhap News)
