China tries to ‘appease’ North Korea in nuclear row

Beijing: China said on Thursday it wants to be good neighbours with North Korea, after the isolated country’s state news agency published a rare criticism of Chinese state media commentaries calling for tougher sanctions over the North’s nuclear programme.

The United States has urged China, North Korea’s only major ally, to do more to rein in its neighbour’s nuclear and missile programmes, which have prompted an assertive response from the Trump administration, warning that an “era of strategic patience” is over.

A commentary carried by North Korea’s KCNA news agency referred to recent commentaries in China’s People’s Daily and Global Times newspapers, which it said were “widely known as media speaking for the official stand of the Chinese party and government”. In Beijing, foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said China’s position was consistent and clear.

“China’s position on developing friendly, good-neighbourly relations with North Korea is also consistent and clear,” Mr Geng said, in response to a question about the KCNA commentary.

China was unswervingly devoted to the denuclearisation of the peninsula and maintaining peace and security and resolving the issue through talks, Geng added.

China has repeatedly said that while it is happy to help arrange talks, it is ultimately up to the United States and North Korea to sort out their differences.

Diplomats say Washington and Beijing are negotiating a possible stronger UN Security Council response — such as new sanctions — to North Korea’s repeated ballistic missile launches in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions.     

The KCNA commentary charged that the Chinese articles had attempted to shift the blame to Pyongyang for “deteriorated relations” between China and North Korea and U.S. deployment of strategic assets to the region.

It also accused China of “hyping up” damage caused by North Korean nuclear tests to China’s three northeastern provinces.

Chinese state media calls for North Korea to dismantle its nuclear programme were “a wanton violation of the independent and legitimate rights, dignity and supreme interests” of North Korea and constituted “an undisguised threat to an honest-minded neighbouring country which has a long history and tradition of friendship”, KCNA said.