Korean president leaves for China

Korean president leaves for China

SEOUL (AP): President Kim Dae-jung left for China on Wednesday, hoping to persuade it to boost trade with South Korea and help bring rival North Korea to peace talks.

Economic cooperation is at the top of the agenda when Kim meets with Chinese President Jiang Zemin in Beijing on Thursday, Kim's office said.

During his five-day visit, Kim also was scheduled to meet with Premier Zhu Rongji and other senior Chinese leaders and visit Shanghai, China's No. 2 city.

The two countries, which opened diplomatic ties only six years ago, are already each other's third largest trading partners.