China's Prez Asks NoKo To Drop Nukes

Hello, John Kerry! Remember your adversary laughing off your idea of two-party talks between the U.S. and North Korea? As I recall, at that moment you looked at him like he was some sort of country bumpkin. Well, John-O, check out this:

Chinese President Hu Jintao has sent a message to North Korean leader Kim Jong-il asking him to abandon his country's nuclear program, Japan's Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported on Friday. Quoting an official at six-party talks on the issue, the paper said Hu's message was conveyed through North Korea’s chief negotiator at the talks Kim Kye-gwan shortly before the Beijing talks went into recess on Aug. 7. It urged Pyongyang to accept a Chinese plan that called on it to dismantle not only all its nuclear weapons but also strictly limit peaceful use of nuclear power, the paper said.

The official also said that the decision to adjourn the talks was based partially on the calculation to allow Kim to return to Pyongyang with President Hu's message so that North Korea's leader Kim Jong-il could make a final decision.

Another official at the talks told the paper Hu was making “several moves," a hint that the Chinese president has been stepping up pressure on Kim Jong-il through other channels since talks went into recess. The paper added that some believe President Hu wants to make the best use of his nation's diplomacy toward the United States ahead of his visit to the country next month. (source)

My trust for Hu and his government is paper-thin, if that, and I doubt that he would do something permanently good for the world just because he's visiting the Prez soon. But good news from NoKo is rare, so let's watch and see what develops.