From Wall Street Journal:
A senior U.S. diplomat said Chinese leaders believe North Korea is willing to return to multilateral talks on nuclear disarmament under terms acceptable to the other parties.
Kurt Campbell, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, praised China’s role in dealing with North Korea. Speaking on a visit to Beijing, Mr. Campbell said Chinese officials on recent high-level visits to Pyongyang told North Korea that any bilateral meetings with the U.S. could happen only under the framework of the six-nation disarmament talks that North Korea abandoned this year.
North Korea has long coveted diplomatic ties with the U.S., but Washington has said that the reclusive state must first abandon its pursuit of nuclear weapons.