China, which until recently had been content to be a spectator during international crises, has become more of an activist in the dispute between North Korea and the US over the communist state's nuclear weapons programme. Not only did it orchestrate and host talks between the two protagonists last month, it even agreed, upon American insistence, to be a party to the talks rather than just an honest broker. However, it is obvious that the United States and China assess the talks quite differently. The Chinese appraisal was positive from the beginning. Immediately after the talks concluded on April 25, Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said they signified a good beginning and expressed hope that the parties would continue to seek a peaceful settlement of the issue. However, the US response was extremely negative. As soon as the talks ended, President George W. Bush accused North Korea of once again resorting to blackmail. White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said the US would confer with its allies about the possibility of seeking United Nations sanctions against North Korea, although he did say America had taken no position on sanctions. In an atmosphere of increasing gloom, when the prevailing wisdom was that the talks had failed, China took action to rescue them. The Foreign Ministry gave an unusual briefing to 20 western diplomats in which the talks were depicted in a much more positive light. At the briefing, it emerged that North Korea had actually made a proposal to the US that included the dismantling of its nuclear programme. Subsequently, it emerged that North Korea had made a four-step proposal for resolving the dispute between itself and the US. China had originally not wanted to be a party to the talks, but because the US was adamant it would not take part in bilateral discussions, it became a fully fledged participant. China has made clear it does not support North Korea's acquisition of nuclear weapons and hopes to see a nuclear-free Korean peninsula. At the same time, however, it is obvious that China and the US do not see eye to eye. The Chinese have indicated that America cannot expect North Korea to dismantle 'verifiably and irretrievably' its nuclear programme without providing a quid pro quo. North Korea points to the war on Iraq as the reason it cannot disarm unilaterally, without first reaching an agreement covering its own security with the US. China is sympathetic and while it does not wish to see a nuclear North Korea, it has even less of a wish to see the country collapse, a development likely to inundate northeastern China with refugees. In an unusual development last Saturday, China sent a senior Foreign Ministry official to Seoul and Tokyo to discuss the North Korean situation before the three countries formulate a common position. The official, Wang Yi, a vice-foreign minister who had taken part in the tripartite talks, arrived in Seoul on Saturday, the day before President Roh Moo-hyun's departure for talks with Mr Bush in the US. Mr Wang then flew to Tokyo to meet Japanese officials. In all likelihood, his mission was to dissuade the South Koreans and Japanese from signing on to a hardline American approach to North Korea. China is trying to keep the diplomatic process alive. Also, it appears that its position on the talks is quite close to that of North Korea. This was evident when President Hu Jintao phoned Mr Roh on May 2. He said China supported the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, but added that North Korea's security concerns 'must be addressed at the same time'. The US position is that North Korea must unilaterally and unconditionally dismantle its nuclear programme before any further discussions can take place. No doubt, China fears that such an attitude, if it persists, will result in the breakdown of talks and, sooner or later, lead to a new conflict on the Korean peninsula. Frank Ching is a Hong Kong-based journalist and commentator frankching1@aol.com