Pelosi presses Chinese on N. Korea and Tibet

A delegation of lawmakers in China this week pushed that country on its relationship with North Korea and the region of Tibet, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Friday.

“China is key here because of its proximity geographically, because of its relationship with North Korea, and again that was a major subject, a topic of conversation with the Chinese leaders,” Pelosi said in a news conference at the conclusion of the trip.

“I was encouraged in that regard, that everyone knows how important it is to get the North Koreans back to the table, back into negotiations, and stopping whatever purpose this saber rattling has,” the speaker added.

On Tibet, a pet issue of the San Francico-based Pelosi, the speaker said she encouraged Chinese leaders to reach out to the exiled Tibetan leader, the Dalai Lama.

“Well, we had a candid conversation on every subject that we’ve discussed and in our conversations we’ve brought up the concern in the Congress on the bipartisan basis, about China’s human rights record in China and Tibet,” she said. “We encouraged a conversation with His Holiness the Dalai Lama or his representatives.”