Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said in Beijing Friday that China has consistently supported efforts by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and Japan to improve their relations and eventually to achieve normalization of their relations.
Kong made the remarks when asked to comment on Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visit to the DPRK scheduled for Sept.17.
Both the DPRK and Japan are important neighbors of China, he said, adding that China hopes Koizumi's visit will be conducive to resolving problems left over by World War II, as well as beneficial to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.
(China Daily August 31, 2002)
