Don’t pass the buck on North Korea’s nuclear programme, China tells United States

The United States should take its share of responsibility for North Korea issues instead of leaving it all to China, a senior Chinese diplomat said.

Asked whether Beijing was losing its ability to rein in Pyongyang, Fu Ying, chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the National People’s Congress and former Deputy Foreign Minister, said China believed it should not control – nor be controlled by – any country.

The question was raised during a discussion at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, which was attended by former prime minister of Australia Kevin Rudd and Singapore’s Minister of Defence Ng Eng Hen.

READ MORE: Why does China react so strongly over the South Korea-based anti-missile system?

Fu said China opposed resolving the North Korea nuclear issues through violence or any other means that would put China’s national security at risk.

“China will fulfil its own responsibility, but cannot replace the share of the US. The US should not always think about passing the problem to China,” People.com.cn quoted her as saying.

“On the North Korea nuclear issue, the US has, on one hand, asked for cooperation from China but on the other hand, is discussing with its allies the deployment of THAAD,” Fu said, referring to Terminal High Altitude Area Defence, the anti-ballistic missile system the US is considering deploying in South Korea. “This makes the Chinese confused and furious.”

Fu’s comments came one day after foreign minister Wang Yi (王毅) told US counterpart John Kerry that China opposed the possible deployment of the THAAD system in South Korea. Wang said China would back a UN Security Council resolution to make Pyongyang “pay the necessary price” for a recent rocket launch.