Cheney warns about possible arms race in Asia

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- Vice President Dick Cheney warned in China today that failure to contain North Korea's nuclear weapons program could trigger a new arms race that could sweep across Asia.
He was bringing the same message to South Korea, arriving here in the middle of a national election on his final stop on a weeklong tour of the region.
"We have no alternative but to act with diligence," Cheney told students at Fudan University in Shanghai, China.
He suggested that North Korea, an impoverished communist country, posed a double threat, either directly or if it decides to raise cash by selling nuclear weapons to terrorist groups.
South Korea
North Korea's nuclear program is also a top agenda item for Cheney in South Korea, but he arrived here at a challenging time.
Washington is not only looking to Seoul to help revive stalled six-nation nuclear talks with North Korea, but also is counting on South Korea's commitment of more than 3,000 troops for Iraq.
That commitment has been shaken by the recent kidnapping of dozens of foreigners in Iraq, including eight South Korean missionaries who were later released.
Opposition is also growing among many South Koreans to the continued presence of 37,000 U.S. troops here.
Cheney arrived in Seoul just before polls closed on a day in which South Koreans voted in closely contested parliamentary elections that could determine the future of impeached President Roh Moo-hyun and reshape relations with the United States.
The vice president planned to meet Prime Minister Goh Kun, the acting president and visit U.S. troops at Yongsan Garrison in downtown Seoul on Friday before returning to Washington.