China ends six-party talks without deal

China ended the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons program today without a concrete result, as reported by Yonhap News. The talks, which opened on Thursday, were abruptly halted as North Korea demanded large amounts of energy aid in return for taking steps toward dismantling its nuclear program. US Representative Christopher Hill said although the US and others in the negotiation are willing to offer some assistance to the DPRK, they are not prepared to allow North Korea to avoid denuclearization. Despite the early breakdown of the talks, which also include South Korea, Japan and Russia, Hill denied that negotiations had failed. No date has been set for resumption.