Visiting Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping told a ruling coalition party leader Wednesday that there have been "signs of easing tension" on issues related to the Korean Peninsula — such as North Korea's nuclear ambitions — an official of the party said.
Xi, who is seen as the front-runner to succeed Chinese President Hu Jintao, was also quoted as saying that "several agreements on important issues" have been reached between the United States and North Korea," although he did not elaborate.
Xi, who met with Mizuho Fukushima, leader of the Social Democratic Party, a junior coalition partner of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, was apparently referring to recent direct high-level talks that took place between the United States and North Korea in Pyongyang.
In the talks, the two countries reached what they call "common understanding" on the need to resume the stalled six-party talks aimed at denuclearizing North Korea.
"There is a sign of easing tension on the issues related to the Korean Peninsula. A new chance may be coming for the resumption of the six-party talks," Xi was quoted as telling Fukushima.
