China’s President Hu Jintao is on his way to North Korea, where his task will be to wrest a clear commitment for nuclear disarmament from Kim Jong-il. This commitment should be brought to Beijing on November 8, when the next round of six-party talks is scheduled to start. If the talks make the US happy, Hu will have a clear sign of commitment and friendship to show to United States President George W Bush, who is due in Beijing around November 20.
However, this will not be the end of the story, but just the beginning as the US and China have a list of questions for each other, worries that go beyond the historic issue of Taiwan, which seems stable even if not resolved.
See also “China’s Hu has ‘frank’ meeting with Kim; no date for next nuclear talks” from Forbes.com.
