Korean, Chinese premiers discuss economy, nuclear issues
- 관리자
- 2008.09.07
- Hit 4273
South Korean and Chinese prime ministers emphasized "green" economic growth and joint efforts on climate change during their talks here Sunday, officials said.
On North Korea's nuclear issue, South Korean Prime Minister Han Seung-soo and his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao agreed Pyongyang's nuclear activities must be verified, they said.
Han is visiting the Chinese capital for the opening of the Paralympics and spent much of Sunday talking with the South Korean team and Korean residents and businessmen here.
Officials said Han, in the meeting with Wen, wished for South Korea to be able to export reactors to China and to transfer technology for building high-speed railway.
Wen showed deep interest in low-carbon, eco-friendly economic growth and hoped for an early signing of a Seoul-Beijing free trade agreement, they said.
The prime ministers talked in depth on North Korea's nuclear issue and agreed they need to keep up the momentum in the ongoing six-nation talks to dismantle Pyongyang's atomic weapons and programs, officials said.
The two countries are members of the six-way negotiations, also involving North Korea, the U.S., Japan and Russia. Pyongyang irked the dialogue partners last week by taking steps that appear to be aimed at restoring its main nuclear reactor.
The reactor was being disabled under a deal reached by the six countries to denuclearize North Korea in return for political and economic incentives.
Han acknowledged China's central role in bringing peace and stability to Northeast Asia, and Wen replied denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is prerequisite to such regional peace.
Wen also said that North Korea's self-declared nuclear inventory, made in June, must be verified, officials said.
from YonhapNews (http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr)