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| China-Japan-Koreas |
| Cheonan Sinking Looms Large as Lee Prepares to Meet Hu |
| 2010-04-30 |
| President Lee Myung-bak and his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao were to have discussed bilateral friendship on Friday, but the unexplained sinking of the Navy corvette Cheonan on March 26 is now likely to take precedence as suspicions grow that China's ally North Korea was involved. Lee is expected to meet Hu for a mere 30 minutes as the Chinese leader greets some 20 foreign leaders who are in Shanghai for the opening of the World Expo. Their meeting could be crucial as the scope of South Korea's response in case North Korea was involved depends largely on China's attitude. North Korea's staunchest ally and chair of the six-party nuclear talks, Beijing has offered little comment on the sinking of the Cheonan. Lee's expectations for the meeting are apparently not high, not least because the cause of the shipwreck remains to be determined and any discussion of it would be hypothetical, presidential officials said. Officials said an expression of agreement with the principle and sympathy for the victims is probably the best Seoul can hope for from Hu. |
| Posted by:Steve White |