China hopes that Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visit to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) will bear fruit with efforts from both sides.
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Kong Quan made the remarks here Tuesday at a regular press conference.
Kong said as a close neighbor of the DPRK and Japan, China has always supported the improvement of relations between the two east Asian countries, and their final normalization of ties, which will be "conducive to the peace, stability and development in east Asia."
(Xinhua News Agency September 18, 2002)
