China steps up efforts to revive North Korea nuclear talks

Jul 2, 2009, 10:05 GMT

   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.