(2nd LD) S. Korea, China, Japan in no hurry for N. Korea nuke talks

(ATTN: UPDATES with deal on regional cooperation, prospect for China-Japan bilateral
summit in last 3 paras)
By Lee Chi-dong
HANOI, Oct. 29 (Yonhap) -- The leaders of South Korea, China and Japan agreed on
Friday not to push for the hasty resumption of six-way talks on North Korea's
nuclear program with the belief that producing substantial results is more
important than the timing of the often-troubled negotiations, South Korea's
presidential office said.
The agreement came at a meeting of South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, Chinese
Premier Wen Jiabao and Japanese Prime Minister Kan Naoto in Hanoi on the
sidelines of their annual talks with Southeast Asian nations, according to Lee's
office, Cheong Wa Dae.
The leaders agreed to "hold talks that can hammer out progress although it (the
process) takes time, rather than talks for the sake of talks," Cheong Wa Dae
spokeswoman Kim Hee-jung told reporters.
But they reaffirmed a resolve to seek the denuclearization of the Korean
Peninsula through the six-way talks, also involving North Korea, the United
States and Russia, she added.
The agreement may be a sign of change in Beijing's stance on the nuclear talks.
China, the chair of the talks and the closest ally of the North, has been
pressing relevant nations to return to the table at an early date and try to
narrow differences. Pyongyang has also expressed its willingness to rejoin the
aid-for-denuclearization talks that have been stalled for two years, even though
it has attached a condition that Washington first lift sanctions on Pyongyang.
In the trilateral summit, the second this year, meanwhile, the Japanese prime
minister stressed the need for a stable supply of rare earth minerals used in
batteries for hybrid cars, mobile phones and other electronics products,
according to the spokeswoman.
China has a virtual monopoly on the rare elements, and Japan is a main importer
of them. China has reportedly curbed the export of the material to Japan in a
retaliatory measure against Tokyo's detention last month of a Chinese fishing
boat captain near their disputed islands called Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in
Chinese. The incident has strained Beijing-Tokyo ties.
Chinese Premier Wen replied that his country will "continue to provide rare earth
materials to the international community," the spokeswoman said.
Wen also said China will make more efforts to develop alternatives to the scarce
natural resources, she added.
On regional partnerships, Wen and Kan accepted Lee's proposal for stepped-up
efforts on opening a secretariat for cooperation among their countries in South
Korea by next year, Kim said, and they also agreed to work harder on a joint
study on the feasibility of a three-way free trade agreement and investment
treaty.
The territorial issue between Beijing and Tokyo was not raised in their summit,
however, she said.
The foreign ministers of China and Japan had an impromptu one-on-one meeting here
earlier Friday, but the two sides failed to arrange a bilateral summit. Japan's
foreign ministry initially said Kan is highly likely to meet Wen but retracted
the announcement hours later.
lcd@yna.co.kr
(END)