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Chinese President Hu Jintao will visit North Korea this year, Beijing confirmed at the start of a six-day China visit by North Korean Prime Minister Park Bong-ju.
A high-ranking Chinese official said Tuesday President Hu¡¯s visit to Pyongyang would not be affected by other political issues like the prolonged suspension of six-party talks on North Korean nuclear disarmament.
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North Korean Prime Minister Park Bong-ju (right) is met by the country's Ambassador to China Choi Jin-su on arrival in Beijing on Tuesday.
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The statement is being read as a signal that China will not use Hu¡¯s scheduled visit, announced earlier this year, as a negotiating card in efforts to bring North Korea back to the talks. Observers had doubted the visit would go ahead after North Korea declared on Feb. 10 that it has nuclear weapons and is boycotting the talks.
Meanwhile, North Korean Prime Minister Park Bong-ju arrived in Beijing to discuss with Chinese leaders economic cooperation between the two countries and resumption of the six-party talks. After visiting a Chinese factory of cell phone maker Nokia, Park met with his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao to discuss bilateral economic cooperation and sign a related treaty. Park¡¯s entourage comprised mainly economic officials apart from North Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Hyung-jun.
The North Korean premier will meet Wednesday with President Hu and the chairman of the country's top advisory body, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Jia Qinglin. He also plans to visit Chinese companies and inspect economic development in Chinese cities like Shanghai, Anshan and Shenyang.
(Cho Jung-sik, jscho@chosun.com )
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