US secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pressured China to persuade North Korea to return to nuclear arms talks as she launched a drive across Asia on Friday to revive the negotiations. Rice said China, North Korea’s biggest benefactor, needed to use its leverage over its neighbour to bring Pyongyang back to six-party talks. ‘‘I’ll leave to the Chinese what leverage they use or what mechanisms they use, but I do think it is important that the diplomacy that the Chinese do with the North Koreans be effective,’’ Rice said aboard her plane as she flew to Tokyo.Ahead of Rice’s visit, China has released its most prominent Uighur political prisoner, Rebiya Kadeer, and the US said it would not seek to censure China at the UN Human Rights Commission meeting in Geneva. —Reuters
