Beijing - China on Thursday sent its envoy for North Korea
to four other nations in a bid to revive stalled talks on ending
Pyongyang's nuclear programme, the Foreign Ministry said.
Wu Dawei, the ministry's top official for North Korean affairs,
left Beijing for Russia, Japan, South Korea and the United States,
ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters.
Qin said the aim of the trip was to promote the six-nation nuclear
talks and 'engage in a thorough exchange of views on the North Korean
nuclear issue and developments in North-East Asia.'
He did not say which nation Wu would visit first or if China would
also hold talks with North Korea, saying only that Wu's itinerary
'depends on his consultations with relevant parties'.
Qin said US envoy Philip Goldberg met with officials from the
Foreign Ministry and other Chinese government departments in Beijing
Thursday.
Goldberg is coordinating US efforts to implement sanctions against
Pyongyang under the UN Security Council resolution passed on June 12
after North Korea's second nuclear test on May 25.
North Korea, the United States, China, South Korea, Russia and
Japan have taken part in several rounds of protracted talks aimed at
negotiating an end to Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programme in return
for energy aid and other concessions.
North Korea announced its withdrawal from the six-nation
disarmament talks in April after the United Nations condemned a
rocket launch that the North said was to launch a satellite but which
its neighbours and the United States charged was a test for a
long-range missile.
South Korea said Thursday that its neighbour had carried out
further launches of what appeared to be two short-range missiles from
its east coast.
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