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US defense official to hold talks in Beijing

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-06-23 11:00

BEIJING: A US Defense Department official is headed to Beijing for talks amid ongoing tensions in the region over the missile and nuclear weapons programs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

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Defense Undersecretary Michele Flournoy will lead the US delegation for the US-China Defense Consultative Talks on Tuesday and Wednesday, the US Embassy said, without providing information on the agenda.

Flournoy was due to travel onward to rhe Republic of Korea (ROK) for talks with officials in Seoul on Friday.

China played host to six-nation talks aimed at pressing Pyongyang to halt its nuclear programs.

Pyongyang has since snubbed those talks, conducted an atomic test in May and threatened war in response to UN sanctions. It also test-fired a ballistic missile and is reportedly preparing for another long-range missile launch and a third nuclear test.

China has publicly opposed DPRK provocations and supported UN sanctions against the country.

Flournoy was due to meet with Chinese officials including People's Liberation Army deputy chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Ma Xiaotian, who last month told an international security forum that Beijing "has expressed a firm opposition and grave concern about the nuclear test."

The ROK has proposed that it and the other four nations in the talks meet to decide future steps, possibly on the sidelines of a regional security forum scheduled in Phuket, Thailand, in July. The US and Japan have agreed to participate, while China and Russia have yet to respond, according to an ROK Foreign Ministry official.