North Korean team arrives in China

BEIJING, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- A delegation from North Korea, led by its deputy foreign minister, arrived in China to "exchange views on bilateral ties," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.

The ministry did not link the visit to the six-nation talks on North Korea's denuclearization, China Daily reported. The talks among China, Russia, the United States, the two Koreas and Japan remain stalled over Pyongyang's opposition to verification of some of its non-proliferation claims.

"The two sides will exchange views on bilateral ties and issues of common interest," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told reporters about the visit of the delegation led by North Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Yong Il.

However, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement there have been positive signs in August, suggesting tensions had eased on the Korean Peninsula.

Among recent actions since its May 25 nuclear test and other provocations since then -- which earned it tough U.N. sanctions -- North Korea recently released four detained South Korean fishermen and agreed to hold reunions for families separated by the 1950-53 war.

"We hope that all sides concerned will grasp the opportunity so that the situation will develop with better prospects," the statement said, China Daily reported.

Professor Wang Fan at China Foreign Affairs University told the newspaper all parties should make the most of the current easing of tension and restart the talks.