US envoy seeks Chinese help to ease Korea crisis
A top U.S. envoy had “useful” talks with Chinese officials Thursday on easing the threat of war on the Korean peninsula, hoping to gain insights about a senior Chinese official’s recent meeting with North Korea’s absolute leader, Kim Jong Il.
Stephen Bosworth met with Wang Jiarui, who heads the Communist Party’s international affairs office, Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun and other officials. He was to travel to Japan later Thursday.
“Ambassador Bosworth and Chinese counterparts had useful consultations on how to coordinate moving forward in dealing with North Korea,” a U.S. Embassy statement said.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei confirmed Bosworth’s meetings. “The sides agreed to remain in contact on maintaining peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and over the six-party talks,” Hong told a news conference. The talks on North Korea’s nuclear program involve the two Koreas, the U.S., China, Japan and Russia, but have been on hold for nearly two years.