China and the United States will maintain "very close contact" concerning developments in North Korea following the death of leader Kim Jong Il, a top U.S. diplomat said Wednesday. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell is the highest level U.S. official to visit the region since Kim's death last month. His comments followed four hours of talks with Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai and other senior Chinese officials and scholars. "I think the United States and China share a strong determination to maintain peace and stability," Campbell told reporters at Beijing's airport ahead of a flight to South Korea. "I think we both underscored how important it will be over the course of the coming months to maintain very close contact between Washington and Beijing, and I indicated that we would be closely monitoring the situation there and that we urged all parties to cautiously deal with the situation and to refrain from any provocations," he said.
