China's Wen says dialogue only way to solve Korea crisis

TOKYO: Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao reiterated on Sunday that only dialogue can solve the problems on the Korean peninsula. Wen's comments at an annual summit in Tokyo came after Japan's foreign ministry said Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan and Wen had discussed the visit of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il to China, effectively confirming Kim's visit to Pyongyang's only ally.

China, which has always stressed that dialogue was the only way to calm escalating tensions on the divided Korean peninsula, has called for "six-party" talks among the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States.

But Washington, Seoul and Tokyo have been lukewarm towards Beijing's proposal for emergency talks among the six, worried that they could be seen as rewarding Pyongyang for its deadly attack on a South Korean island late last year.

Kan is hosting an annual summit this weekend of leaders from South Korea, Japan and China.

Copyright Reuters, 2011