North Korean leader Kim Jong-il visited a development zone in eastern China yesterday, media reports said, as he pursued a trip aimed at seeking answers for his nation’s crippled economy.
Kim, on his third visit to China in just over a year, toured the economic development zone in Yangzhou City near Shanghai, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said, citing unnamed sources.
North Korea watchers believe the latest trip by a man who rarely leaves his country reflects a dire need for help with severe economic problems and food shortages amid ongoing international sanctions over its nuclear ambitions.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (溫家寶) confirmed Kim’s visit for the first time on Sunday, telling South Korean President Lee Myung-bak in Tokyo that Kim wanted to study China’s vibrant economy, according to a Seoul official.
Kim may also visit the site of a joint industrial park on North Korea’s border with China on the way home, Yonhap said.
That would likely underscore a commitment to further economic cooperation with China, North Korea’s closest ally and main benefactor, Yonhap said.
The reclusive Stalinist ruler has traversed much of eastern China aboard his personal train and the trip is also widely viewed as intended to show he is healthy and firmly in charge.
Kim, 69, suffered a stroke in 2008 and has launched a succession plan involving his youngest son and heir apparent Kim Jong-un. It was not immediately clear if his son was part of his entourage in China.
His arrival in China on Friday came just ahead of a weekend summit in Tokyo between China, South Korea and Japan, which agreed North Korea must show sincerity before stalled six-nation talks on its nuclear program can resume.
INVESTIGATION: The case is the latest instance of a DPP figure being implicated in an espionage network accused of allegedly leaking information to Chinese intelligence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) member Ho Jen-chieh (何仁傑) was detained and held incommunicado yesterday on suspicion of spying for China during his tenure as assistant to then-minister of foreign affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮). The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said Ho was implicated during its investigation into alleged spying activities by former Presidential Office consultant Wu Shang-yu (吳尚雨). Prosecutors said there is reason to believe Ho breached the National Security Act (國家安全法) by leaking classified Ministry of Foreign Affairs information to Chinese intelligence. Following interrogation, prosecutors petitioned the Taipei District Court to detain Ho, citing concerns over potential collusion or tampering of evidence. The
NEGOTIATIONS: Taiwan has good relations with Washington and the outlook for the negotiations looks promising, Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo said Taiwan’s GDP growth this year is expected to decrease by 0.43 to 1.61 percentage points due to the effects of US tariffs, National Development Council (NDC) Minister Paul Liu (劉鏡清) said at a meeting of the legislature’s Economics Committee in Taipei yesterday, citing a preliminary estimate by a private research institution. Taiwan’s economy would be significantly affected by the 32 percent “reciprocal” tariffs slapped by the US, which took effect yesterday, Liu said, adding that GDP growth could fall below 3 percent and potentially even dip below 2 percent to 1.53 percent this year. The council has commissioned another institution
NEGOTIATIONS: The US response to the countermeasures and plans Taiwan presented has been positive, including boosting procurement and investment, the president said Taiwan is included in the first group for trade negotiations with the US, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, as he seeks to shield Taiwanese exporters from a 32 percent tariff. In Washington, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said in an interview on Fox News on Thursday that he would speak to his Taiwanese and Israeli counterparts yesterday about tariffs after holding a long discussion with the Vietnamese earlier. US President Donald Trump on Wednesday postponed punishing levies on multiple trade partners, including Taiwan, for three months after trillions of US dollars were wiped off global markets. He has maintained a 10 percent
TRADE: The premier pledged safeguards on ‘Made in Taiwan’ labeling, anti-dumping measures and stricter export controls to strengthen its position in trade talks Products labeled “made in Taiwan” must be genuinely made in Taiwan, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday, vowing to enforce strict safeguards against “origin laundering” and initiate anti-dumping investigations to prevent China dumping its products in Taiwan. Cho made the remarks in a discussion session with representatives from industries in Kaohsiung. In response to the US government’s recent announcement of “reciprocal” tariffs on its trading partners, President William Lai (賴清德) and Cho last week began a series of consultations with industry leaders nationwide to gather feedback and address concerns. Taiwanese and US officials held a videoconference on Friday evening to discuss the
RSS