The new top U.S. negotiator on North Korea, Chris Hill, will visit Beijing for talks this week amid U.S. hopes that China will bring fresh pressure on North Korea to rejoin negotiations aimed at eliminating its nuclear programs, U.S. officials said on Wednesday. Hill, who is also U.S. ambassador to South Korea, is expected to join South Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Song Min-soon for consultations with Chinese officials. The one day meeting set for Thursday occurs before a senior-level Chinese delegation heads for Pyongyang in an apparent attempt to salvage the long-stalled six-country nuclear negotiations. North Korea last week declared that it possessed nuclear weapons and would not rejoin the six-party talks, which last occurred last June. Hill "is ... going to Beijing. He is going to begin his new role as head of the U.S. delegation to the six-party talks," a State Department official said, adding that it was an opportunity to get to know other players in the talks. But another official said: "Chris is an activist. This is part of an all-out effort to get this negotiating process up and running."
