Annan in China with N Korea, Iran on agenda

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan (L) meets with Chinese President Hu Jintao in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing yesterday. Annan met with Hu on the first day of his China visit with North Korea, Iran and East Asian tensions on the agenda. PHOTO: AFP

Annan flew in from Tokyo to begin the third leg of his five-nation Asian tour, in which he has already spoken out on the global stand-offs over the Iranian and North Korean nuclear issues.

China, which has veto power on the UN Security Council, has been a key player on both issues, and Annan's visit was expected to be closely watched by the international community.

In Japan on Thursday, Annan said better diplomacy was needed from all sides in helping to resolve the two nuclear disputes, and warned the world was moving mindlessly towards a situation where all nations wanted nuclear weapons.