. | . |
China, S. Korea and Japan leaders to discuss N. Korea tensions by Staff Writers Beijing (AFP) Dec 19, 2019 Chinese, Japanese and South Korean leaders will discuss a potential free-trade deal and tensions over the North Korean nuclear issue when they meet in southern China next week, officials said Thursday. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will host South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for the meeting in Chengdu on Tuesday. The visiting leaders will also hold separate talks with President Xi Jinping, Chinese vice foreign minister Luo Zhaohui told reporters at a briefing. The meeting of regional powers comes as tensions have risen between Washington and Pyongyang after North Korea carried out a series of rocket launches. Nuclear talks between the North and the United States have been largely stalled since the collapse of a February summit in Hanoi between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Pyongyang has issued a year-end ultimatum, promising an ominous "Christmas gift" if Washington does not come up with some concessions. China, an old ally of Pyongyang, introduced a draft joint UN resolution with Russia this week seeking to lift some of the punitive measures that have been enforced on North Korea over its nuclear activities. Tuesday's summit will aim to "have a constructive effect on achieving peace and stability on the Korean peninsula", Luo said, adding however that the leaders would not be discussing the proposed UN resolution. There are also tensions between Japan and South Korea, as their ties have deteriorated over Tokyo's use of forced labour during World War II. The diplomatic friction has resulted in tit-for-tat trade restrictions and the scrapping of a military information-sharing pact between the two. Luo said China "did not feel that the disagreement between South Korea and Japan had any negative influence on trilateral cooperation". He added that the three leaders would discuss "accelerating" negotiations for a trilateral free trade deal.
US envoy: N. Korea comments 'hostile and unnecessary' Seoul (AFP) Dec 16, 2019 The top US representative in talks with North Korea on Monday slammed Pyongyang's demands as hostile and unnecessary as its end-of-year deadline approaches, but held open the door for fresh negotiations. The North has insisted that Washington offer it new concessions by the end of 2019 with the process largely deadlocked since the collapse of a summit in Hanoi in February. Pyongyang has issued a series of increasingly strident declarations in recent weeks, and US special representative Stephen B ... read more
|
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |