Efforts to bring North Korea back to the nuclear disarmament negotiating table are being stepped up with a high-ranking Chinese official and a special UN envoy visiting Pyongyang this week.

Last Saturday (February 6), Wang Jiarui, head of the Chinese Communist Party's international department, arrived in Pyongyang for what is expected to be a four-day visit. Although the trip is characterised as being part of regular exchanges between the Chinese Communist Party and the North Korean Workers' Party, analysts believe Wang is in Pyongyang to discuss North Korea's return to the six-party talks.

Wang is expected to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and deliver a message from Chinese President Hu Jintao. In the past, Wang played a role in moving the often bumpy six-party talks forward. He visited Pyongyang in 2004, 2005, 2008 and 2009 and met with Kim on each occasion. Wang also delivered letters or messages from the Chinese president during those visits, and it is likely that Wang may do the same this time.

Another senior official who will be urging North Korea to return to the six party talks is Lynn Pascoe, UN undersecretary-general for political affairs, who is due to visit Pyongyang Tuesday as a special envoy of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Pascoe, who will be in Pyongyang for four days, arrived in Seoul on Saturday to discuss, among other matters, his trip to North Korea. His visit to North Korea will be closely watched because of the North Korean demand for the lifting of UN sanctions before its return to the six-party talks. Pascoe did not rule out discussing the UN sanctions imposed last year, saying: "We expect to talk about the entire range of issues while we are up there."

It remains to be seen whether these high profile visits will bring about a change in North Korea's position on the six-party talks. Pyongyang unilaterally announced its withdrawal from the six-party talks last April after the United Nations imposed sanctions. Stephen Bosworth, a special US representative for North Korea policy, visited Pyongyang in December but the communist state has yet to announce its return to the nuclear disarmament talks. In fact, there has been no palpable change in the North Korean demand that bilateral talks between the United States and North Korea take place before its return to the six-party talks.

Pascoe's Pyongyang visit may similarly end up being an opportunity for North Korea to press its case for removal of UN sanctions without progress being made on getting Pyongyang back to the denuclearization talks.

North Korea wants a number of things before it returns to the nuclear disarmament talks. It wants talks on a peace treaty to formally end the Korean War and the lifting of UN sanctions.

North Korea's economy is in a shambles. The strict enforcement of UN sanctions has dried up the country's sources of foreign currency and the recent reform of the North Korean won has nearly brought the economy to its knees. There are even reports of unrest in the totalitarian communist state.

The North is in dire straits and desperately needs outside assistance. It should first return to the six-party talks and negotiate in good faith and then the rest - lifting of sanctions, assistance and normalization of relations with the United States - may follow.