China seeks closer ties with N. Korea: Wen

Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao yesterday said China seeks to further promote relations with North Korea "in all areas" as regional partners hold their breath in hopes for nuclear breakthrough, according to Pyongyang`s state-run broadcaster.

The North was apparently eager to reciprocate, as it has signed onto a deal to build a bridge over the Amrok River bordering China and North Korea in addition to existing ones.

"Wen Jiabao said he would join hands with his (North Korean) comrades to promote and develop exchange and cooperation in all areas," the Korean Central News Agency said.

Wen reportedly made the comments at a "welcome gala" given by North Korean leader Kim Jong-il on Sunday.

The broadcaster also reported that Pyongyang has inked a deal with Beijing on technological cooperation including the bridge over the Amrok River. China plans to finance the project estimated to cost $144 million, mostly for easy access to the North in case the reclusive regime collapses, political observers said.



Wen - the first Chinese premier to visit North Korea in 18 years - is scheduled to leave for China today.

He arrived in Pyongyang on Sunday, and was greeted by Kim Jong-il.

The official purpose of his trip was to commemorate 60 years of diplomatic relations, but observers and government officials here said they expected Wen to touch on denuclearization issues.

"With China so deep in the denuclearization process, there is bound to be some form of discussion on the nuclear standoff caused by North Korea," said one Foreign Ministry official declining to be identified.

The North Korean leader himself last month indicated that he was ready to engage in bilateral and multilateral dialogue concerning his nation`s nuclear weapons programs. The comments reportedly were made during a meeting with Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo. China traditionally boasts a strong allied relationship with the North and has so far exercised considerable political muscle over the reclusive regime.

North Korean Prime Minister Kim Yong-il reportedly reiterated Kim`s comments on Sunday, saying that the North "never gave up" on denuclearization and plans to achieve that goal via "bilateral and multilateral" talks.

But while all eyes were on Wen for a possible breakthrough, many said this was unlikely, at least at this round of meetings.

"The North Korean nuclear problem is not going to go away that easily, although the fact that Wen visited Pyongyang, and that Kim was eager to meet him does strike an optimistic chord," said Kim Tae-woo, vice president of the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses.

There was, however, some anticipation that at least a statement of communique of some kind on regional peace may be struck.

"I believe that much was probably coordinated between China and the North," said professor Yang Moo-jin of the University of North Korean Studies here.

Pyongyang quit the six-nation talks - the official denuclearization framework - in April this year.

Since then the North has embarked on brinkmanship diplomacy, including a second nuclear test.

The North, in an apparent effort to talk with the United States, began issuing a series of goodwill gestures starting in July.

It released American journalists it had initially sentenced to hard labor and also a South Korean man.

The two Koreas recently wrapped up the first family reunions in almost two years.

Despite the reconciliatory mood, Seoul remains adamant that all denuclearization discussions must occur within the six-party framework.

The South also of late appeared to be aiming to take the reins in the denuclearization issue.

Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan yesterday said the South remains committed to the so-called "grand bargain" deal that President Lee Myung-bak recently proposed involving extensive incentives in return for "irreversible" denuclearization measures from the North.

During a parliamentary hearing, he also said that the best strategic choice for the North would be to abandon nuclear development.

Pyongyang continues to claim that it adheres to its nuclear programs for self-defense, citing "hostile" policies from Washington.

The Barack Obama administration has yet to confirm when it would oblige to the one-on-one talks Pyongyang seeks.

(jemmie@heraldm.com)



By Kim Ji-hyun