U.S. Relations With the People's Republic of China (2008)

U.S. Department of State

Morning Walkthrough at the Six-Party Talks

Christopher R. Hill, Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs
China World Hotel
Beijing, China
December 10, 2008

QUESTION: Why did the time [of morning walk-through] change?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: I don't know.

QUESTION: Is it because of the heads of delegation that you're heading to?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: I think there's a heads of delegation meeting this morning. I think we'll have some bilateral meetings. We'll have to see what people's reaction was to the draft yesterday. We have some additional comments we've received from Washington, so we'll be talking to various delegations. So probably we'll have a head of delegation right after.

QUESTION: Have you received a revised text or anything?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: No.

QUESTION: Are you expecting to get one when you get there?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: From the Chinese?

QUESTION: Yes.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: No, I haven't received it, so I think we'll just be discussing it.

QUESTION: Ambassador, how was the response from Washington on the initial draft that you'd received?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: I think we have worked on some of our own drafts. The Chinese were obviously making an effort to amalgamate different people's drafts, including our own, so I think - like others - we've had some suggestions. I don't really want to characterize the response, except to say that we've had some additional suggestions for their draft. I think the key thing is to figure out whether this is a draft that everyone can work on or not, in which case we would have to look at some other instrument.

QUESTION: There is reporting in the South Korean press that the six parties are basically agreed on the wording on how to address sampling in the document. Can you confirm that?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: I am not aware of that. I cannot confirm that. You mean the six parties? I can't confirm that. I don't know where they got that.

QUESTION: Do you think you can wrap up the meeting today?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: Well, it's Wednesday. So I'll know that better after this morning. I don't know.

QUESTION: Are you saying that you have some new proposals after talking to Washington?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: No, just new language suggestions - things like that. Really I don't have much more for you because when I last saw you I was going to my hotel room. And now I've come from my hotel room, so I really don't have much new. I did have a few phone calls, but that's about it. So as I told you last night, it's a question of what happens this morning. So I'll see you later today, and I can give you my perspective on it. Okay?

QUESTION: As to sampling and verification. There are some reports on verification saying how to verify things is no longer a problem at the moment. Is that correct?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: I am not aware that there's anything that can be defined as no longer a problem. Again, I'll know better this morning. I am not aware that's true.

Okay? All right, see you later.

Released on December 10, 2008