Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister
Wu Dawei will visit Japan to meet with envoys of the five other countries
involved in the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, a Foreign Ministry spokesman
said here Thursday.
"He will meet with delegation heads of other parties and discuss the issues
concerning the six-party talks," spokesman Liu Jianchao said at a press
conference.
While Wu is in Tokyo, a conference on security in northeast Asia will be held
in the Japanese capital from April 9 to 11, with participants from China, Japan,
the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Russia, the Republic of Korea
(ROK) and the United States.
But Liu said Wu had no plans to attend the forum.
He said the conference involved unofficial consultations on security
cooperation and dialogue in northeast Asia. "Officials from China's foreign and
defense ministries and researchers will attend the conference in a private
capacity."
The spokesman said China was supportive of the conference, which aimed to
improve understanding and trust and promote dialogue on regional security.
Liu reiterated China's position on the six-party talks, urging all parties to
implement the joint statement adopted in September 2005 at the end of the fourth
round of talks.
"This (implementation of the statement) serves the interests of all parties
and helps maintain regional peace and stability," he said.
He also appealed for an early resumption of the six-party talks, which had
been in stalemate since the first phase of the fifth round ended in November.
On Tuesday, Liu attributed the deadlock to mistrust between the United States
and the DPRK.
"We hope related parties should show sincerity and flexibility and take into
account the overall situation of peace and stability and the denuclearization
object in Northeast Asia in handling related problems," said
Liu.