Chinese President Hu Jintao said here on Friday that the nuclear issue on the
Korean Peninsula is at a crucial time.
The emphasis of next step is on resuming the six-party talks at an early
date, reaffirming the Sept. 19 joint statement by all parties and taking
concrete steps in implementing the joint statement, he added.
President Hu made the remarks in meeting with President of the Republic of
Korea (ROK) Roh Moo-hyun on the sidelines of the 14th economic leaders' informal
meeting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) that is slated for Nov.
18-19.
Hu said China and the ROK are committed to realizing denuclearization on
Korean Peninsula, safeguarding regional peace and stability and solving the
problem peacefully through dialogues.
The Chinese side sticks to promoting peace and negotiations and will continue
to make unremitting efforts for the settlement of the issue through dialogues,
Hu said.
China is willing to continue to strengthen coordination and cooperation with
the ROK to advance the situation toward a sound direction, he added.
For his part, Roh spoke highly of China's efforts for the resumption of the
six-party talks, which he said were facing many difficulties.
In order to make progress in the six-party talks, the parties concerned
should make decisions, adopt a flexible attitude and stick to settling the issue
through dialogues, Roh said.
The ROK side hopes to strengthen communication and coordination with China so
as to jointly make contribution to safeguarding peace and stability in Northeast
Asia, he added.
On bilateral relations, Hu said China is willing to work with the ROK to
promote a continuous growth of bilateral ties as the two countries have
established an overall cooperative partnership.
He said the year 2007 will be the 15th anniversary of the establishment of
diplomatic ties between the two countries, which will hold China-ROK exchange
year activities with the hope of enhancing mutual understanding and cooperation.
He also expressed the hope that the two sides will make concerted efforts to
ensure the smooth progress of these activities.
Roh said the ROK is preparing to hold various activities and hopes that these
activities will yield important results and help promote bilateral relations.
Hu arrived in Vietnam on Wednesday for a state visit as guest of the
Vietnamese Communist Party leader Nong Duc Manh and President Nguyen Minh Triet.
Vietnam is the first leg of Hu's four-nation tour, which will also take him to
Laos, India and Pakistan.