President Hu: China supports eventual Korean unification
(AP)
Updated: 2005-11-18 00:51

APEC BRINGS HU AND BUSH

Hu and U.S. President George W. Bush are visiting South Korea for a summit of the 21 leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in the southern port city of Pusan on Friday and Saturday.

The summit brings together the leaders of all six countries in the six-party talks with the exception of North Korea. China, the United States, Japan, South Korea and Russia have held five rounds of talks with the North in Beijing since 2003.

Bush and South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun met on Thursday morning in the ancient dynastic capital of Kyongju, and Hu and Roh met on Wednesday in Seoul.

At their summit, Roh told Hu that South Korea had granted Beijing market economy status, a move that will give China greater protection from anti-dumping duties on exports.

Both Hu and Roh said that two-way trade would hit $100 billion this year and pledged to double that by 2012.

Hu told lawmakers on Thursday China was committed to pursuing "peaceful development," repeating a mantra aimed at allaying concerns of both its neighbors and the West about the economic and political ambitions of the world's most populous country.

"China will endeavor to develop itself through preserving a peaceful international environment while promoting world peace," he said. "Broad cooperation and exchanges with various countries will achieve mutual benefits and win-win outcomes."