China’s top nuclear envoy Wu Dawei on Monday visited North Korea in an apparent move to revive the long-stalled multilateral aid-for-denuclearization talks involving Pyongyang.
The North’s official Korean Central News Agency reported that the Chinese delegation led by Wu arrived in Pyongyang. It did not specify the purpose of its surprise visit to the impoverished state.
The delegation’s trip to the North came as Pyongyang has been struggling to overcome the deepening international isolation stemming from its nuclear and missile development and secure foreign currency to shore up its debilitated economy.
Both Pyongyang and Beijing have sought to restart the six-party talks, which have been suspended since 2008. But Seoul and Washington have maintained that the North should first show sincerity in its denuclearization efforts.
With the two Koreas resuming a flurry of talks over the suspended industrial park in Gaeseong and reunions of separated families, the expectation has emerged for the resumption of the talks that involve the two Koreas, the U.S., China, Japan and Russia.
But observers largely remain skeptical, pointing to the North’s unceasing pursuit of nuclear arms. It has already defined itself as a nuclear-armed state in its constitution and adopted a policy of concurrently pursuing nuclear armament and economic development.
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
