China's president won a pledge from North Korean leader Kim Jong Il to stick with international efforts to get his country to stop developing nuclear weapons in exchange for aid, AP quoted the Chinese government as saying Sunday. China also offered to do more to help its communist ally develop its decrepit economy, during President Hu Jintao's rare three-day visit to North Korea that concluded Sunday, said Wang Jiarui, head of the Chinese Communist Party's international department. Wang didn't give figures on aid or describe any planned projects in his briefing to reporters. He also refused to say if the two leaders had any disagreements during their talks. And he evaded a question on what Beijing thinks of North Korea's demand that it be given a light-water nuclear reactor for power generation before it disarms. "As you know, the DPRK is still facing a lot of difficulties despite improvements in its economy and the livelihoods of its people," Wang said, referring to the North by the initials of its official name. "China is a friendly neighbor to the DPRK, and the Communist Party and government of China will, in their capacity, provide assistance to the DPRK," he said. --more 1332 Local Time 1032 GMT
