President Hu opposes moves that raise tension

President Hu Jintao said yesterday that China opposes any action that may aggravate tension on the Korean Peninsula after Pyongyang's missile tests and urged for a dialogue to solve the crisis.

He made the remarks when meeting Yang Hyong-sop, vice-president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), who is in Beijing for a five-day visit marking the 45th anniversary of a friendship treaty.

Hu said China, as a close neighbour of the DPRK, is seriously concerned over its test-firing of a barrage of missiles last week, which he described as "new complicated factors" on the peninsula.

"We have long been committed to maintaining peace and stability on the peninsula and insisted on a peaceful solution through dialogue and negotiation," he said.

"We oppose any action that may worsen the situation on the Korean Peninsula," he told Yang.

Responding to Hu's comments, Yang said his country is ready to work together with China to "safeguard peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and in the region."

Hu stressed that China would make joint efforts with other sides "to overcome current difficulties and create favourable conditions" to promote the Six-Party Talks.

Also yesterday, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu described a Japan-drafted UN resolution urging sanctions against Pyongyang as "overreaction."

"China thinks the draft resolution is an overreaction to the DPRK's missile issue. If approved, it will escalate the contradictions and increase tension in the region," she told a regular press briefing.

"The draft resolution will undermine peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia, hurt the efforts to resume the Six-Party Talks as well as lead to a split in the UN Security Council."

Japan formally presented a draft resolution on Friday, seeking sanctions against the DPRK.

The draft, co-sponsored by Britain, France and the United States, invokes Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, which authorizes sanctions or even military action.

But Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said that Japan would wait a while before it pushes for a vote on the matter.

Asked how long Japan would wait, Abe said the country would not push for a vote for at least a few days.

China's UN Ambassador Wang Guangya told reporters at the UN headquarters in New York that a resolution imposing sanctions would "not calm down the situation," and urged other members of the UN Security Council to be flexible.

China on Monday introduced a draft UN Security Council presidential statement on the missile launches on July 5 by the DPRK.

The draft statement, which is supported by Russia and does not carry the weight of a resolution, calls for the concerned parties to work together on the early resumption of the Six-Party Talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.

Vice-Foreign Minister Wu Dawei, China's top negotiator to the Six-Party Talks, is in Pyongyang as part of a delegation led by Vice-Premier Hui Liangyu on a goodwill visit, which is widely expected to help push for the resumption of the six-nation talks.

Source: Xinhua/China Daily