Powell to push China on N. Korea
Willy Wo-Lap Lam
CNN Senior China Analyst
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Powell will arrive in Bejing Sunday after a trip to Japan.
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HONG KONG, China (CNN) -- U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell will travel to Beijing this weekend, with North Korea's nuclear program high on the agenda.
Powell is likely to press Beijing to persuade Pyongyang to rein in its program to develop weapons of mass destruction during an Asian tour that kicks off this weekend, diplomats say.
U.S. officials have privately indicated frustration at Beijing's refusal to exercise their influence with North Korea, their long-time ally. China is the main supplier of food, fuel and technological aid to North Korea.
Powell is due in Beijing on Sunday for talks with Chinese officials that will focus on the North Korean and Iraq crises.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said Powell will discuss with Chinese leaders bilateral relations as well as regional and global issues such as North Korea's nuclear armaments program.
"There is no difference between China and the U.S. on the issue of the peaceful resolution of the North Korean nuclear problem through dialogue," state media on Friday quoted Zhang as saying.
Powell told Hong Kong-based Pheonix TV before leaving Washington that he looked forward to discussions with Chinese leaders including Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan, whom he would be meeting for the fourth time this month.
The China News Service quoted Powell as saying the U.S. would work with China on handling the North Korean crisis, and that Washington "hoped eventually to be able to engage in a dialogue with North Korea and that an effective and lasting solution can be found."
He added the U.S. would also talk with Japan, South Korea, Australia and Russia on the North Korean problem.
The Secretary of State is starting his Asian trip Thursday, which includes stops in Tokyo, Beijing and Seoul.
On Iraq, Beijing will likely reiterate its position that diplomatic means within the United Nations framework be pursued to disarm the Saddam Hussein regime.
