South Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Lee Kyu-hyung arrived in Beijing Saturday to be briefed on the results of his Chinese counterpart Wu Dawei's recent trip to Pyongyang.
Lee will meet with Wu, China's top nuclear envoy, possibly in the afternoon, to see if there is any change in North Korea's demand that the United States lift its financial sanctions on the North if the six-party talks on the latter's nuclear arms program are to reopen and if Pyongyang intends to accept China's proposal for an unofficial round of six-party talks, officials said.
Washington has rejected the North's demand.
"We did not fix the meeting time in consideration of a possible change in Wu's schedule," a Foreign Ministry official said on condition of anonymity.
Wu came back to Beijing earlier in the day after having stayed in Pyongyang with Hui Liangyu, vice prime minister of China's State Council, since Tuesday to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the signing of a treaty of friendship between his country and North Korea.
His visit to Pyongyang also came amid heightened tension sparked by the North's test-firing of seven missiles last week, including a long-range Taepodong-2 rocket believed capable of reaching the U.S.
In a related move, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill said after meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing on Wednesday that it is disappointing for North Korea not to respond positively to China's diplomatic efforts to have the communist state return to the six-party talks. It is unclear if such efforts were rewarded.
Beijing, July 15 (Yonhap News)
S. Korea's vice foreign minister arrives in Beijing |
