China urges preventing escalation of Korean tension
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Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo Sunday talked over phone with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton about recent events on the Korean Peninsula, saying China and the United States should help ease tensions and facilitate dialogue.
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Choe Tae Bok, chairman of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, began a five-day visit to China on Tuesday, at the invitation of Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China.
Later Wednesday, Wu held talks with Choe at the Great Hall of the People.
Wu said it was his third meeting with Choe this year.
Their first meeting took place when DPRK leader Kim Jong Il visited China in May. Choe was part of Kim's entourage. Wu and Choe also met on the sidelines of an international parliamentary leaders' meeting in Geneva in July.
"Three meetings in a year reflected our special relations," Wu said, adding he expected Choe's visit to boost bilateral relations, including ties between the legislatures.
Choe will discuss the bilateral relationship, inter-parliamentary exchanges, and issues of common concern during his visit and also travel to northeast China's Jilin Province.
Some participants at the forum echoed Yang's remarks, saying the maintenance of peace and stability is the priority for the region.
Georgian Ambassador to China Karlo Sikharulidze said all parties should exercise calm and restraint while bringing the situation back to dialogue and negotiation.
Escalation of tensions on the Korean Peninsula can deepen strategic misgivings between related countries and undermine cooperation and coordination, which harms regional stability, said Yu Shaohua, a researcher at the China Institute of International Studies.
Yu said the primary goal of all parties is to maintain regional peace and stability.
"Using force is impractical. Dialogue and negotiation are the only practical and feasible solutions to the issue," he added.
Yu also said the Six-Party Talks should be restarted, adding that other mechanisms cannot match their broadness of participation and representativeness of safety concerns.
