Chinese President Hu Jintao and his Japanese counterpart Abe Shinzo met at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Sunday. They expressed concern over North Korea¡¯s announcement last week that it plans to conduct a nuclear test and agreed to put joint efforts into denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and maintaining peace in Northeast Asia. The pair also agreed to make joint efforts to help North Korea return to six-party talks on its nuclear problems. The results of their meeting were announced in a statement after the summit.
Abe reiterated that North Korea¡¯s plan for nuclear test ¡°cannot be tolerated¡± for the sake of peace and stability of the international community and urged North Korea ally China to exert its influence and dissuade Pyongyang.
Abe set out Japan¡¯s dual policy of dialogue and pressure in addressing North Korean nuclear program. Hu said Beijing wants to make efforts to keep the North from conducting a nuclear test. China strongly protested against and expressed its concerns over North Korea¡¯s announcement, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said after a meeting with Abe. Hu and Abe agreed to build a mutually beneficial ¡°strategic¡± relationship to pursue common interests in like the North Korea issue.
It was the first visit to China by a Japanese prime minister in five years, with Beijing the first overseas stop for Abe since he took office last week. Hu described the visit as ¡°a positive turn in our relationship,¡± which has been chilled by what Japan¡¯s neighbors see as Tokyo¡¯s attempts to whitewash the past. Abe invited the Chinese president and the premier to Japan, and they accepted. The Japanese PM comes to Seoul on Monday to meet President Roh Moo-hyun, who will in turn go to see Hu in Beijing on Friday.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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