DPRK FOREIGN MINISTER'S VISIT TO CHINA: BILATERAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 001727 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/06/2033 TAGS: PREL PGOV KN CH SUBJECT: DPRK FOREIGN MINISTER'S VISIT TO CHINA: BILATERAL TIES, SIX-PARTY TALKS Classified By: Regional Unit Chief Mark Tesone. Reasons 1.4 (b/d). Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) DPRK Foreign Minister Pak Ui Chun's April 26-29 visit to Shanghai and Beijing was a reciprocal visit for PRC Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi's visit to North Korea last July, said MFA Asian Affairs Department Korea Division Deputy Director Fang Kun. Pak met with Vice President Xi Jinping, State Councilor Dai Bingguo and FM Yang to discuss bilateral relations and the Six-Party Talks. Fang said China urged the DPRK to fulfill its Six-Party obligations. North Korea, reported Fang, hopes the other parties implement their commitments under the "action-for-action" principle. According to Fang, Pak reiterated North Korea's one-China policy and stated that Tibet is an "integral" part of China's territory. Fang said there was "no truth" to reports of a Kim Jung-Il visit to China this summer, but added that the two sides touched upon the "normal" exchange of high-level visits. A visiting Japanese scholar told us that Kim will visit China in May or June in order to meet the new Chinese leadership and to request a "gift" of food aid. End Summary. DPRK FM Visits Shanghai and Beijing -------------- ¶2. (C) DPRK Foreign Minister Pak Ui Chun's visit to China April 26-29 was a reciprocal visit for PRC Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi's visit to North Korea last July, said MFA Asian Affairs Department Korea Division Deputy Director Fang Kun during a May 5 briefing for the U.S., French, Japanese, Singapore and Russian embassies. Pak began his visit in Shanghai where he met with the Deputy Mayor and toured an exhibition center, said Fang. (Note: When asked to clarify why the DPRK FM had visited Shanghai, Fang twice underscored that Pak's visit to China's financial center had "no special meaning.") Pak then traveled to Beijing and met with Vice President Xi Jinping, State Councilor Dai Bingguo and FM Yang April 28-29. Fang said China and North Korea pledged to further enhance their mutually beneficial bilateral ties and to "push forward" the relationship in honor of next year's 60th anniversary of the establishment of Sino-DPRK relations. ¶3. (C) On the denuclearization issue, Fang said China and North Korea believe it is in everyone's interest to implement the commitments made in the Six-Party Talks joint statements. �A; China, Fang noted, appreciates the progress made in recent U.S.-DPRK consultations and hopes that North Korea will seize this opportunity to promote progress in the Six-Party Talks. Fang said China urged North Korea to fulfill its obligations. According to Fang, Pak told Chinese interlocutors North Korea believes that an improved U.S.-DPRK relationship will contribute to the peace and stability of the region. He said North Korea hopes that as it "earnestly" implements Six-Party Talks and bilateral agreements, other parties including the United States, will implement their commitments under the "action-for-action" principle. On a separate note, said Fang, North Korea is unhappy about the ROK Government's recent policy adjustment toward the DPRK. Fang emphasized China's support for North-South reconciliation and urged enhanced communication between the two countries. ¶4. (C) According to Fang, Pak reiterated North Korea's one-China policy. North Korea also stated that Tibet is an "integral" part of Chinese territory, said Fang, and added that the DPRK supports the measures China took in Tibet. Fang said China also expressed its appreciation to North Korea for its handling of the Olympic torch relay event in Pyongyang. Fang said North Korea believes that a "clique" of Western anti-China forces is attempting to undermine the Beijing Olympics but with the support of the people, the Olympics will surely be a success. Kim Jung-il Visit to China? -------------- ¶5. (C) When asked about media reports that Pak visited China to prepare for Kim Jung-il's upcoming visit, Fang said there was "no truth" to these rumors. However, he added that while Pak and Chinese officials did not "specifically" discuss a possible Kim visit, they did touch upon the "normal" exchange of high-level visits. Fang said North Korea did not make a request for food aid, as speculated in press reports. ¶6. (C) A contact at the Chinese Communist Party International Liaison Department declined comment on Pak's visit and told us he had not heard of a possible Kim visit. Paul Jeffery, a Mercy Corps Senior Program Manager visiting Beijing, told poloff on May 5 that a Pyongyang-based NGO contact also had heard no news about the DPRK leader's rumored visit to China. BEIJING 00001727 002 OF 002 ¶7. (C) However, Hajime Izumi, a visiting Japanese scholar from the University of Shizuoka, told us on April 30 that a Beijing-based North Korean contact told him Kim will likely visit China in early summer, with a possible trip to Vietnam later. According to Izumi's contact, Kim's visit will be arranged by the Chinese Communist Party, since he will travel as the head of the DPRK Communist Party. Izumi opined that the purpose of Kim's visit will be to meet the post-17th Party Congress new leadership. Separately, Izumi speculated that a Kim visit in May or June, during the peak of the food shortage season in North Korea, might spur the host (China and possibly Vietnam) to present North Korea with a gift (or deliverable) of food aid. Around July, said Izumi, the food situation in North Korea should improve with the potato harvest. ¶8. (C) Izumi said his North Korean contact called rumors of Kim flying to China or Vietnam "ridiculous" and said he will likely travel by train. Izumi observed that the last time Kim Il Sung flew was September 1986 and that North Korea had used experienced Russian pilots for that long-haul journey. According to Izumi, the lack of press reports on Russian pilots preparing for such a journey was a good indication that Kim will travel by train. RANDT