Top US diplomat in China for N Korea talks

Campbell, the assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific affairs, is the first US diplomat to visit North Koreas closest ally since the leader of the Stalinist state died from a heart attack on December 17.Kim Jong-Il’s death has sparked concerns over the stability of the isolated, nuclear-armed nation, where famine killed hundreds of thousands in the 1990s and where severe food shortages persist.A spokesman for the US embassy in Beijing told AFP Campbell had arrived on Tuesday evening.He said Campbell would meet senior officials on Wednesday to discuss a range of important bilateral, regional, and global issues, including the latest developments related to North Korea and Burma.China is a key ally of Myanmar, also known as Burma, which has made tentative steps at reform by opening talks with the opposition and ethnic minorities.But the future of North Korea is likely to dominate Campbells trip, which will also take him to South Korea and Japan before he returns to Washington on Saturday.In the hours after the announcement of Kims death on December 19, Chinas Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi held phone talks with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the importance of ensuring security on the Korean peninsula.China has thrown its support behind Kims successor, his son Kim Jong-Un, as it seeks to ensure stability in the isolated nation. --AFP