Talks with North Korea to go on

BEIJING: China’s ruling Communist Party continues to hold talks and maintain contacts with its North Korean counterpart, a senior official said, describing the two countries’ friendship as important for regional stability.

While the United States and its allies, and many people in China, believe Beijing should do more to rein in Pyongyang, the acceleration of North Korea’s nuclear and missile capabilities has coincided with a near-total breakdown of highlevel diplomacy between the two.

China, Pyongyang’s sole major ally, has said it would strictly enforce UN Security Council sanctions banning imports of coal, textiles and seafood, while cutting off oil shipments to the North.

China accounts for more than 90% of world trade with the isolated country.

Guo Yezhou, a deputy head of the Chinese Communist Party’s international department, told reporters on the sidelines of a party congress that its exchanges, communication and dialogue with the North’s ruling Workers’ Party of Korea were continuing.

“China and North Korea are neighbours and the two have a traditional, friendly and cooperative relationship,” Guo said.

Maintaining, developing and consolidating those ties not only accorded with both sides’ interests, they also had “important meaning” for regional peace and stability, he added.

Exchanges between the two parties play an important role in developing overall China-North Korea relations, Guo said.

“Our party and the Workers’ Party of Korea have traditional friendly exchanges.

“When and at what level these exchanges happen depend on both sides’ needs and convenience,” he added.

Guo did not directly answer a question on when the department’s head Song Tao last met with any North Koreans.

The department is in charge of the party’s relations with foreign political parties, and has traditionally served as a conduit for Chinese diplomacy with North Korea. — Reuters