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US, China Urge North Korea to Return to Nuclear Talks
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?r=279&c=661645&l=1009&ctl=147C901:A6F02AD83191E160DE48380679A1B7CD9574F7DCC14957C0 US Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice meets with Chinese President Hu Jintao, hoping
to allay some of Beijing's concerns about UN sanctions approved last
week U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in China, where she
and Chinese officials have urged North Korea to return to nuclear
disarmament negotiations following its October 9 nuclear test. China
is offering hope of a peaceful resolution, with a Beijing envoy who
visited North Korea this week saying his trip was not in vain.







U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, left, shakes hands with
Chinese President Hu Jintao during a meeting at the Great Hall of the
People in Beijing Friday, October 20, 2006Condoleezza Rice met with
Chinese President Hu Jintao and other officials, hoping to allay some
of Beijing's concerns about United Nations sanctions approved last
week in response to North Korea's nuclear test.

China - as the chief supplier of food and fuel to the impoverished
North - is perceived as having more leverage over Pyongyang than any
other nation. However, experts say Beijing fears that applying the
sanctions too forcefully may cause the North Korean government to
collapse and send droves of refugees into Chinese territory.

At the start of her visit Friday, Rice met with Chinese Foreign
Minister Li Zhaoxing and said they spoke about the importance of fully
implementing the resolution to stop North Korea from shipping banned
weapons materials.

"We also talked about the importance of leaving open a path to
negotiation through the six-party talks because after all, President
Hu and President Bush are both committed to a diplomatic solution to
this problem," she said.







Tang Jiaxuan (file photo)China offered hope of a diplomatic solution
on Friday. Tang Jiaxuan, President Hu's envoy to Pyongyang this week,
told Secretary Rice that his visit to North Korea has - in his words -
"not been in vain." Tang met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il -
his first known meeting with a foreign dignitary since the October 9
nuclear test.

Chinese officials gave no details on Tang's Pyongyang visit, but
Foreign Minister Li told reporters Friday both sides discussed how to
restart the stalled six-nation talks - which also include Japan,
Russia, and South Korea. The talks aim to persuade Pyongyang to give
up its nuclear programs.

Rice also met with Premier Wen Jiabao, who told her he saw "no other
choice" but to resolve the nuclear crisis through dialogue.

China is the third stop on Rice's tour, which is aimed at building
support for implementing the sanctions against the North. The
secretary of state earlier visited Tokyo and Seoul. She heads to
Russia Saturday.

In earlier comments in South Korea, Secretary Rice said that while the
U.S. seeks full implementation of sanctions, she would not try to
dictate to other governments what they should do.