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China moves to break stalemate in talks on N. Korean nuke
By Lee Chi-dong
SEOUL, July 3 (Yonhap) -- China appears to finally be moving after months of international pressure on it to step up efforts to broker a breakthrough in stalled negotiations over North Korea's nuclear program.
Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei, who chairs the six-party talks on North Korean denuclearization, is currently on a visit to Russia as the first leg of a four-nation tour that will also take him to the United States, Japan, and South Korea.
Announcing Wu's trip Thursday after his departure, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said it is aimed at reviving the six-way talks and exchanging views on the nuclear issue and regional security concerns.
Qin maintained Beijing's typical diplomatic ambiguity on details, including specific agenda items and whether Wu will also travel to Pyongyang.
South Korean officials said Wu is expected to arrive in Seoul around next weekend for his first trip here in nearly three years. They agreed that the tour abroad is unusual, as Wu typically enjoys playing host to foreign officials at his office for discussions on North Korea.
They are cautious about media speculation on what is in the Chinese envoy's briefcase.
"Frankly, we don't know exactly whether he is bringing specific ideas on ways to resume the six-way talks or whether he will focus on listening to relevant nations' opinions," a South Korean foreign ministry official said, requesting anonymity. "We will be able to give you details only after consultations with him."
Asked if Seoul's push for a five-way meeting without the participation of North Korea will be discussed, he said, "Of course."
As the North refuses to rejoin the six-way format, the South has proposed a gathering of the other members to seek ways to bring the communist neighbor back to the bargaining table.
China has reportedly taken a lukewarm stance on the proposal, however, out of fear that it may make the North feel more isolated and deal a further blow to the six-way talks.
Diplomatic sources in Seoul expressed doubt that Wu's trip will produce an immediate breakthrough to the stalemate deepened by North Korea's firing of four more short-range missiles on Thursday.
They said China may be making a gesture to show that it is not doing nothing at a time when the six-way talks, which began in 2003, are facing their gravest challenge.
China, which has more political and economic leverage on its neighbor than any other nation, has been coming under growing pressure from the international community to exert its influence on North Korea.
Analysts say the North is unlikely to survive without food and energy assistance from China, and it is widely believed that Beijing does not want the North to collapse for fear of the massive inflow of refugees and the ensuing regional instability.
A U.S. interagency team led by Philip Goldberg, coordinator for the implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1874, visited Beijing earlier this week to ask for cooperation on the resolution to punish Pyongyang for its May 25 nuclear test.
Last month, two U.S. government delegations -- one led by Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg and the other by Michele Flournoy, under secretary of defense for policy -- traveled to Beijing for consultations on North Korea.
"China seems to be trying to maintain momentum in the six-party talks. It also apparently hopes to end the current sanctions-only phase and create a mood of dialogue," said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.
China may be seeking to take action before the North exacerbates the situation further by carrying out its threats to shoot an intercontinental ballistic missile or conduct a third nuclear test, he added.
lcd@yna.co.kr
(END)
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