North Korea told China its nuclear standoff with the US was approaching an "unpredictably difficult phase" as Japanese media reported the isolated communist state might be softening its stand on talks.
Underlining tensions on the divided peninsula, South Korea said its navy had fired warning shots yesterday after a North Korean patrol boat briefly crossed their disputed maritime border in the Yellow Sea.
North Korean parliament chief Kim Yong-nam commented on the nuclear standoff when he met Wu Bangguo (
Kim "pointed out that the situation in Northeast Asia centring around the Korean Peninsula is reaching an unpredictably difficult phase due to the US invariable hostile policy" towards North Korea, the North's KCNA news agency said.
For his part Wu, China's parliament chief and its most senior leader to visit the impoverished and isolated North since then president Jiang Zemin (
"He said that the Chinese side supports the improvement of the relations between the north and the south of the Korean Peninsula and the realization of its independent and peaceful reunification," KCNA said.
Japanese media reports yesterday said that North Korea was no longer demanding a non-aggression treaty with the US and would settle instead for a letter of assurance on its security from US President George W. Bush.
Bush said this month that the US and its partners were all willing to sign a document, not a treaty, declaring "We won't attack you" so long as North Korea agreed to abandon its nuclear ambitions.
North Korea initially dismissed the proposal as "laughable" but said later it was prepared to consider it.
Yesterday's naval confrontation was quickly resolved when the North Korean vessel turned back. Seoul's Defense Ministry said it was believed to have crossed the maritime line while monitoring Chinese fishing vessels near rich crab-fishing grounds.
Nevertheless, with North Korea seemingly edging towards talks, any military action is closely watched.
Wu's visit has raised hopes that Beijing can persuade Pyongyang to attend a new round of six-party talks on the crisis.
China hosted an inconclusive round of talks in late August with North Korea, the US, South Korea, Japan and Russia to try to end the standoff.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue (章啟月) dismissed news reports that China had pressured North Korea to come to the negotiating table.
"We don't apply any kind of pressure in diplomacy," she told reporters in Beijing. "This is China's diplomatic style."
SEA WARNING LIKELY: The storm, named Gaemi, could become a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, with the Taipei City Government preparing for flooding A tropical depression east of the Philippines developed into a tropical storm named Gaemi at 2pm yesterday, and was moving toward eastern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Gaemi could begin to affect Taiwan proper on Tuesday, lasting until Friday, and could develop into a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, it said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued as early as Tuesday morning, it added. Gaemi, the third tropical storm in the Pacific Ocean this typhoon season, is projected to begin moving northwest today, and be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday, the agency said. Today, there would likely
CHIPS AND DEFENSE: Trump said the US had lost its chip business and Taipei should pay it for defense, and added that ‘we’re no different than an insurance company’ Taiwan-US relations are solid, and both sides are in agreement that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region are everyone’s concern, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday following comments by former US president Donald Trump that Taiwan “should pay” for US defense. Taiwan is thankful to the US for supporting Taiwan’s bid to participate in international organizations, Cho told a news conference in Taipei. “I know the people very well, respect them greatly. They did take about 100 percent of our chip business,” Trump told Bloomberg on June 25 in an interview that was published on Tuesday. “I think
SHOW OF SUPPORT: Taiwan has been one of the largest buyers of US defense equipment, supporting American businesses and jobs, US lawmakers said Taiwan has been paying for its own defense, a US Department of State official said on Wednesday, adding that purchases of military equipment are important to the US economy and for ensuring regional security. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller was asked at a news conference about comments by former US president Donald Trump, the Republican nominee in November’s US presidential election, who said during an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek that Taiwan should pay Washington for its defense needs. “The purchases that they [Taiwan] have made not only are important, we believe, to regional security, but are important to the United States economy,”
Hsu Wen-erh (許汶而) on Friday became the first Taiwanese to swim solo across the English Channel, saying she was very happy to bring Taiwan to the world. Hsu completed the challenge in 12 hours, 17 minutes and eight seconds, after swimming across the Strait of Gibraltar in October last year. She said she had planned to swim the English Channel in August next year, but seized the opportunity when a vacancy became available on the waiting list. She went to the UK in May to train for a test that involves swimming for six hours at 16°C, which people who want to swim