China notes South Korean frustration with Pyongyang policy
A top Chinese envoy acknowledged on Friday South Korea’s “dissatisfaction” with Beijing's reluctance to back expanded UN sanctions to punish Pyongyang, in the wake of North Korea's missile test.
A top Chinese envoy acknowledged on Friday South Korea’s “dissatisfaction” with China’s policy towards North Korea, but asked for Seoul’s understanding over Beijing’s reluctance to punish Pyongyang.
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun also suggested that China and South Korea should stand side by side in pushing Japan to face up to its aggressive militaristic past.
Zhang was wrapping up a three-day visit to Seoul as the envoy of China’s next leader Xi Jinping that included talks with South Korean president-elect Park Geun-hye.
During their meeting on Thursday, Park had stressed the need for South Korea and China to send a “clear and consistent” message to North Korea to abide by its international responsibilities.
Seoul is known to be frustrated with China’s reluctance to approve expanded UN sanctions against Pyongyang for its long-range rocket launch last month, which most of the world saw as a disguised ballistic missile test.
“I understand some South Korean friends are dissatisfied with China’s policy toward the North, but I ask them to understand China’s difficulties as well,” Zhang said on Friday.
China is North Korea’s sole major ally and has repeatedly argued that pushing Pyongyang into a corner could provoke a reaction that would seriously destabilise the Korean peninsula and the wider region.