China disagrees to the withdrawal of the Democratic People's
Republic of Korea (DPRK) from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
(NPT), Chinese President Jiang Zemin said Friday evening.
Jiang made the remarks while exchanging views with US President
George W. Bush on the DPRK nuclear issue in a telephone
conversation initiated by Bush, official sources told Xinhua.
While stressing the US side objected the action of the DPRK, Bush
said during the phone conversation that the United States was still
willing to solve the DPRK nuclear issue through talks.
The action the DPRK had taken was not in its own interest, and
would damage regional peace and security, Bush said.
Jiang said China advocated the realization of non-nuclearization on
the Korean Peninsula and disagreed to the DPRK's withdrawal from
the NPT.
China held that maintaining an international mechanism of nuclear
nonproliferation conformed to the common interests of the
international community, Jiang said, describing dialogues as the
most effective way to tackle the issue.
Jiang said China would make joint efforts with various sides to
work for an early and peaceful settlement of the issue.
(Xinhua News Agency January 10, 2003)