U.S., China discuss need for warning N. Korea against nuke test

BEIJING, Sept. 6 Kyodo

The United States and China discussed Wednesday the need to warn North Korea against going ahead with a nuclear test, which both countries view as a concern, chief U.S. nuclear negotiator Christopher Hill said.

''We talked about the need to make it very clear to the DPRK that this would be a very, very unwelcome development,'' Hill said, referring to a nuclear test, after his meeting with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei, his counterpart at the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear programs.

''I think they, like us, are concerned about this,'' Hill said. ''We certainly discussed the danger that the DPRK could try to take additional provocative steps.''

DPRK is the acronym for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The meeting came at a time when North Korea is reportedly preparing for an underground nuclear test, following the test-firing of seven ballistic missiles in early July.

The missile tests were condemned in a U.N. Security Council resolution that was also supported by traditional North Korean allies China and Russia. Pyongyang has warned it may take further action if the international community steps up pressure on the country.

Hill said he told Wu the United States is ready to take measures for implementing the U.N. Security Council resolution, and expected China to do the same.

''I made very clear to the Chinese that we are proceeding to look for all ways'' to implement the resolution, and ''we would expect the Chinese to do the same in pursuing their obligations,'' he said.

Hill said China discussed some specifics about what they plan to do to make that possible, but he declined to go into details.

China has repeatedly said it is against imposing sanctions on North Korea, arguing it would be counterproductive. Meanwhile, calls are growing in countries such as the United States and Japan for tougher measures against Pyongyang.

Hill said the six-party talks remain in ''a very difficult moment,'' with North Korea ''not giving any signal it wants to return.''

The talks involving the two Koreas, the United States, China, Japan and Russia remain stalled, with Pyongyang refusing to return to the negotiating table.

North Korea says it will not return to the talks until the United States lifts sanctions it imposed on a Macao-based bank suspected of laundering money and counterfeiting for North Korea.

The United States says the sanctions are a law enforcement measure that should not be linked to the nuclear negotiations.

''I think it's fair to say that the Chinese very much want to find a diplomatic way forward, but like us, they are having difficulties doing so because the DPRK seems a lot less interested in a diplomatic way forward than the rest of us,'' he said.

Hill also said that while he has asked China about reports North Korean leader Kim Jong Il may be visiting China soon, he does not have confirmation.

''I have not got any more concrete information on these rumors,'' Hill said. ''They remain, as far as I'm concerned, to be rumors.''

Hill flew to China from Tokyo on Tuesday and will visit Seoul after his China trip, which will also take him to other Chinese cities, including Chengdu and Shanghai.

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