China blames US, South Korea for missile launch

BEIJING:

China, facing criticism that it is not doing enough to pressure North Korea to drop its nuclear programme, said that the root cause of North Korean missile launches is Pyongyang’s friction with the United States and South Korea.

North Korea fired a banned ballistic missile on Sunday, its first test since US President Donald Trump took office.

The missile, launched as Trump hosted Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Florida, was believed to have flown about 500km before splashing down in international waters.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said China opposed the launch, which violated UN Security Council resolutions that called for an end to North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests.

China is North Korea’s largest source of trade and aid, and Trump had complained that Beijing was not doing enough. Beijing countered that its influence was overstated and suggested that Washington’s refusal to talk directly to North Korea was impeding progress toward a solution.

“The root cause of the (North Korean) nuclear missile issue is its differences with the US and South Korea,” Geng told reporters at a regular briefing.

Geng said China, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, has been “completely and comprehensively” implementing Security Council resolutions on the nuclear issue.

He said Beijing “has been striving for a settlement of the Korean Peninsula issue by proactively engaging in mediation and promoting peace talks”.

Geng urged all sides to refrain from provocative action and said China would continue participating in Security Council discussions in a constructive and responsible way.—