UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi exchanged views Thursday on the situation in the Korean peninsula, expressing the need for peace and stability in the Northeast Asian region.
The meeting at UN headquarters in New York followed Yang’s visit to Washington for talks to prepare Chinese President Hu Jintao’s state visit to the US capital and a lavish reception to be hosted by US President Barack Obama at The White House Jan 19.
Ban said in a statement that he had a “cordial and warm meeting” with the Chinese foreign minister.
“They exchanged views on the situation in the Korean Peninsula, stressing the need for peace and stability in the region, as well as for the resumption of the six-party talks,” the statement said.
“The secretary general expressed his strong appreciation of China’s active efforts in this regard,” it said in reference to China’s leading mediation that included the US, Russia, Japan and North and South Korea.
They also discussed the situation in Sudan, Ivory Coast and Myanmar as well as the UN Conference on Sustainable Development scheduled to take place in Rio de Janeiro later this year.
