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Chinese nuclear envoy makes surprise visit to N. Korea: report

February 2, 2016

Wu Dawei, middle, China’s representative for Korean Peninsula Affairs, talks to Pak Song-il, deputy director of the America department at the North Korean Foreign Ministry, upon his arrival at Pyongyang Airport, North Korea, Tuesday. (Yonhap)

TOKYO/BEIJING (Yonhap) — China’s top nuclear envoy made a surprise visit to North Korea on Tuesday, a news report said, amid rising tensions over the North’s fourth nuclear test last month.

Wu Dawei, China’s top delegate to the long-stalled six-party talks on North Korea’s nuclear program, flew into Pyongyang in the afternoon, Japan’s Kyodo News agency reported.

China is currently under international pressure to exert its leverage on North Korea to make sure Pyongyang ends its nuclear program.

Wu is expected to meet with North Korean officials over the Jan. 6 nuclear test, which Pyongyang claims was a successful detonation of a hydrogen bomb.

The test has raised security tensions in the region to a new high, with the U.N. Security Council pushing to adopt another sanctions resolution against Pyongyang.

South Korea appears to be inching closer to introducing an advanced U.S. missile defense system to counter the threats posed by North Korea’s missile and nuclear programs.

Meanwhile, satellite imagery has shown increased activity at the North’s Sohae, also known as Dongchang-ri, rocket launch site, raising concerns that the communist nation may be preparing for a long-range missile or rocket launch.

North Korea’s official news agency made a brief report about Wu’s arrival in Pyongyang. China’s foreign ministry had no immediate comments.

Diplomatic sources in Beijing said the visit by Wu is likely to be aimed at moderating North Korea’s future provocations, including the possible launch of a long-range rocket, while trying to persuade the North to resume negotiations.

“Preventing North Korea from carrying out an additional provocation is likely at the top of the agenda,” a diplomatic source said of the visit by Wu to Pyongyang. “If North Korea launches a long-range missile again, it will further complicate the situation.”

While China has been reluctant to join in drawing up tougher sanctions against North Korea, Beijing has repeated its long-standing stance that the six-party talks should resume at an early date.

“As China has talked about the resumption of the six-party talks, I think that the resumption of the talks may be one of the items on the agenda,” the second source said.