By Park Si-soo
China’s Vice Premier Li Keqiang met with President Lee Myung-bak in Seoul, Wednesday, amid hopes of progress in restarting the long-stalled six-nation talks aimed at ending North Korea’s nuclear programs.
His visit to Seoul came one day after he met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang, spawning speculation that the ranking Chinese official may be a messenger between the two Koreas.
“Li told President Lee that he had in-depth talks with North Korean leader Kim,” said Park Jung-ha, presidential spokesman. “The Chinese politician explained to Kim about the significance of nuclear-free Korean Peninsula to bolster regional security and peace.”
The spokesman denied the speculation that there was a secret message to President Lee from the North Korean leader via the Chinese vice premier.
Lee discussed a wide range of issues, including North Korea’s nuclear ambition and regional security with Li, according to the spokesman. The President called on China to play a key role in leading the reclusive North to open itself to the outside world, he added.
During his stay in Pyongyang, Li was told by the North Korean leader that the communist state “hopes the six-party talks about the nuclear issue on the Korean peninsula could be restarted as soon as possible,” China’s official Xinhua news agency reported early Tuesday.
The “principle of simultaneous action” should be applied, it quoted Kim as saying ― a re-iteration of the North’s stance that the negotiations should begin again without preconditions.
In response, Li told Kim that China would “continue to play a constructive role” to improve relations between the two Koreas and in “maintaining peace and stability on the peninsula,” Xinhua reported.
The United States has said the resumption of the dialogue would come only after Pyongyang halts its nuclear activities, including its uranium enrichment program, and allow on-site inspection by an international atomic watchdog.
Top nuclear envoys from the U.S. and the North met in Geneva early this week, but there was no major progress regarding the resumption.
Li, who is widely believed to take over as China’s premier from the incumbent Wen Jiabao next year, also met with Korea’s Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik. The two discussed ways to improve political and economical ties between Korea and China, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.
After meeting with National Assembly Speaker Park Hee-tae and heads of four leading business associations, Li will depart for Beijing Thursday afternoon.
China is the host nation of the six-party talks involving the two Koreas, the U.S., Russia and Japan. The multilateral forum has been at a standstill since April 2009 when North Korea walked away over international sanctions for its nuclear and long-range missile tests.