China believes North Korea’s denuclearization possible: Chinese envoy

China believes that North Korea’s denuclearization is possible through resuming the now-suspended six-party talks, China’s top envoy to South Korea said Wednesday.

The remarks were made during a closed-door meeting between Amb. Qiu Guohong and Rep. Moon Jae-in, chairman of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy, in Seoul, said the party’s spokesman Kim Sung-soo.

Guohong said that “China believes that quickly resuming the six-party talks will solve the North Korean nuclear issue and make the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula possible,” according to Kim.

The six-party talks involving the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States have been suspended since late 2008 due to Pyongyang’s backtracking on a past agreement to abandon its nuclear weapons program in exchange for economic and political concessions.

As to Moon’s request that China play an active role in resuming the talks, the ambassador responded that Beijing is making efforts to narrow the differences between the U.S. and North Korea.

The two also agreed that the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is the same goal pursued by both countries.

The ambassador said that the inter-Korean deal struck on Tuesday would play a big role in easing tensions between the two Koreas.

“I believe that the South and the North will understand each other better and keep the cooperation from now on. China will pay attention and show support so that the two Koreas can achieve reunification in a peaceful way,” the ambassador said.

The ambassador welcomed Moon’s planned visit to China in October to attend a regional meeting of parliamentarians and meet senior Chinese officials.

Moon plans to join a session of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties to be held in Beijing from Oct. 14-16.

Sponsored by the Communist Party of China, the meeting will take place under the theme of “Rebuilding the Silk Road.”

It would be Moon’s first trip to China as leader of NPAD, coming at the invitation of Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress. (Yonhap)


The Korea Herald