China condemns Canada ‘cold war’ North Korea summit for keeping military strike option alive
Beijing presses for dialogue while Tokyo and Washington caution against naivety in dealings with Pyongyang
China has denounced a 20-nation call for tougher sanctions against North Korea, saying the gathering in Canada was a product of “cold war thinking” and a sign that the United States was still considering a military strike on Pyongyang.
The two-day meeting organised by Canada and the US wrapped up on Tuesday with the participants – all supporters of South Korea in the Korean war – agreeing to consider tougher sanctions to press North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons.
During the meeting, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned Pyongyang that it could trigger a military response if it did not choose to negotiate.
But on Wednesday Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang condemned the meeting from which China and Russia were excluded, saying “it would divide the international community and damage the chances of an appropriate settlement on the peninsula”.
“Only through dialogue, equally addressing the reasonable concerns of all parties, can a way to an effective and peaceful resolution be found,” Lu said.
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The nations at the meeting included Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Sweden and Australia. According to United Nations data, the 20 nations did not have any trade with North Korea in 2016, raising a question mark over how effective a joint push could be without input from China and Russia, two of North Korea’s remaining trade partners.