China calls for calm tack on North Korea sanctions ahead of Asean summit
US secretary of state to urge Beijing to take tougher action to rein in Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons programme at regional forum in Manila this weekend
China’s foreign minister called on all parties to avoid raising tensions on the Korean peninsula ahead of a regional meeting where US diplomats are set to pressure Beijing to back tougher UN sanctions on Pyongyang.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is expected to push his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi to help isolate and take tougher action against Pyongyang during an Asean regional meeting in Manila this weekend.
A senior US official said in Washington on Wednesday that there were indications China was ready to take steps to address the situation in North Korea.
“We would like to see more action faster and more obvious and quick results. But I think we’re not giving up yet,” said Susan Thornton, acting assistant secretary of state for Asian affairs. “What we are trying to do is galvanise this pressure and isolate North Korea so it can see what the opportunity cost is over developing these weapons programmes.”
In Beijing on Thursday, Wang underscored China’s opposition to North Korea’s launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) last Friday, saying it was in violation of UN Security Council resolutions.