The leaders of South Korea and China on Thursday restated their firm opposition to the nuclear ambitions of North Korea, Beijing's erstwhile ally, and to work towards concluding talks on a free trade deal by the end of the year, Reuters reported. Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Seoul, his fifth meeting with the South Korean leader since they both took office last year, seeks to strengthen commercial and diplomatic ties. Xi and Park, appearing briefly before reporters after their talks, said they were firmly opposed to nuclear weapons on the Korean peninsula. Xi made no mention of North Korea by name, a standard practice in Chinese diplomacy. Neither leader took questions. "The two sides reaffirmed the position that they firmly oppose the development of nuclear weapons on the Korean peninsula," a joint statement said. Both sides expressed support for the stalled six-party talks aimed at ending the North's nuclear progammes in return for economic and diplomatic rewards. Hosted by China, they also involve the two Koreas, Japan, Russia and the United States.
