President Hu to pay visits to DPRK, Vietnam
(Xinhua/chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2005-10-21 13:25

General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Chinese President Hu Jintao will pay official good-will visits to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and Vietnam between October 28 and November 2.

President Hu Jintao (R) shakes hands with Kim Jong-il, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea before their meeting in Beijing in this April 2004 file photo. [Xinhua]

Guo Yezhou, spokesman for the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, announced in Beijing Thursday that at the invitation of Kim Jong-il, General Secretary of the Worker's Party of Korea and Chairman of the National Defence Commission, Hu will visit DPRK between October 28 and 30.

At the invitation of General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nong Duc Manh and Vietnamese President Tran Duc Luong, Hu will visit the Socialist Republic of Vietnam between October 31 and November 2. 

Hu's DPRK visit next week comes amid international efforts to convince North Korea to stop its nuclear program and ensure a nuclear-free Korean peninsula.

It follows a flurry of diplomatic activity between Beijing and Pyongyang. On October 8, the Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi met North Korea's leader Kim Jong-Il, and she passed on a personal message from Hu.

A Chinese diplomat responsible for Korean affairs, Li Bin, concluded a three-day visit to Pyongyang on Thursday.

China hosted international talks that last month produced an agreement by Pyongyang to give up all nuclear programs in exchange for security guarantees and energy assistance.

However, North Korea has demanded that it be given a nuclear reactor for power generation before it dismantles its atomic projects.

China last week congratulated North Korea on the 60th anniversary of its ruling party and promised closer cooperation.

A telegram from Hu at the time said Chinese-North Korean relations were a "precious treasure" that should be developed. China's Vice Premier Wu Yi and Commerce Minister Bo Xilai were in Pyongyang to participate in the anniversary celebrations.

Hu's telegram praised Kim's leadership and said stronger ties would help to maintain regional peace and stability.