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China hails

DPRK's new

diplomacy

BEIJING: China on Tuesday hailed the new face of North Korea's diplomacy, saying the Stalinist nation was hoping to end decades of isolation in the new millennium.

"It appears that by pushing forward a multi-lateral foreign policy, North Korea is fulfilling its wishes to improve its relations with all nations, including those of the west," a signed editorial in the Communist Party mouthpiece the People's Daily said.

The editorial came as North Korean Foreign Minister Paek Nam-Sun continued his visit to China after holding talks on Monday with Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji.

Paek is on the first leg of a 20-day tour of China and southeast Asia and had already held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan, who visited North Korea in October last year.

"This is significant for increasing exchanges with all nations and nurturing a peaceful and stable environment on the Korean Peninsula will open up foreign economic and trade cooperation and speed up the pace of its domestic economic construction," the paper said.

The paper cited the January 4 establishment of diplomatic relations with Italy, the February 9 friendship treaty with Russia, the March 5 visit by reclusive leader Kim Jong Il to the Chinese embassy in Pyongyang and Paek's ongoing visit to China.ÑAFP