China’s envoy on Korean affairs to visit Japan
April 1, 2016, 10:26 am

World powers accuse North Korea of pursuing a nuclear and ballistic weapons program in violation of UN sanctions [Xinhua]

Foreign ministry spokesperson Hong Lei said that Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Affairs Wu Dawei will likely visit Japan in the coming two or so weeks to “communicate with the Japanese side about the resumption of the six-party talks.”

The multilateral talks include delegations from China, the United States, North and South Korea, Japan, and Russia. They were initiated in 2003 as part of a diplomatic effort to end Pyongyang’s nuclear program.

Wu’s visit to Japan, his first in four years, comes amidst heightened tensions and rhetoric on the Korean Peninsula.

Last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un promised that he would soon test a nuclear warhead and ballistic missiles capable of carrying such a load.

The increased belligerent rhetoric comes after the UN Security Council unanimously passed Resolution 2270, which slaps new sanctions on Pyongyang after it carried out two nuclear tests in January and February.

South Korea has said it has agreed to begin talks with Washington on possible deployment of an advanced US missile defense system. Both Russia and China are critical of this deployment, the radar of which, Beijing believes, could penetrate its territory

Russian ally China is opposed to Pyongyang’s nuclear programme and has repeatedly appealed for calm.

“We hope North Korea does not do anything to contravene UN Security Council resolutions. We also hope all sides can remain calm and exercise restraint and avoid doing anything to exacerbate confrontation or tensions,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said last week.

The BRICS Post with inputs from Agencies