Paek Nam-sun, Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Korea, left Beijing Tuesday morning, concluding his 8-day visit to China.

 

During his stay in Beijing, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan met with Paek respectively.

 

As guest of Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing, Paek held talks with Li on bilateral ties, Korean Peninsula nuclear issue and other issues of common concern.

 

Paek's China tour came at a time when the six-party talks on Korean nuclear issue remained stalled since the last round of meeting was held in Beijing last November.

 

The last round of talks, involving China, North Korea, the United States, South Korea, Russia and Japan, ended up with a Chairman's Statement, in which the parties concerned agreed to resume the talks as soon as possible.

 

But as Washington imposed financial sanctions on Pyongyang for alleged counterfeiting and money laundering, until now, there has been no sign that the talks will be resumed soon.

 

Paek also spent three days in Guangzhou and Shenzhen in Guangdong Province, a boom area in south China, which North Korean leader Kim Jong-il visited in January.

 

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said Paek's visit to Guangdong is helpful to enhancing mutual understanding and exchanging experience on economic development.

 

(Xinhua News Agency June 6, 2006)