As temperatures dropped Thursday morning in rain-soaked Beijing,the cool breeze seemed to have dispersed not only Wednesday's sultriness,but also the activity outside the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse,where the six-party talks on the nuclear issue of Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)have entered the second day.
At 10:47a.m.,the talks resumed in the former imperial garden located in west Beijing.In contrast with the "lenient press policy"on Wednesday which allowed photo time before the talks began,journalists on Thursday were completely shut out of the venue.
Outside the gate,only about 30Chinese and foreign reporters were still around,and on the main road outside the guesthouse,bustling traffic had resumed its usual pace,no longer as congested as Wednesday.Once in a while,a passer-by would ask the journalists,"How is it [the talks] getting along?"
"We are here to find out what's going on behind the closed doors and tell what's happening to the American audience,"said a reporter named Richard with the US-based CNN.
A passing father took the event as an opportunity to educate his young son,teaching him one by one the names of the six nations involved in the talks.
The talks'press center set up in Beijing International Hotel was the next to be deserted,with just a few Chinese reporters and two journalists from Mongolia.There were no new notices for press conferences posted and so far,only Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK)have held news briefings.
For Journalists,Thursday is another busy day,but they are wondering whether they would be able to get any substantial news during the day.
Xinhua