China's premier urged North Korea on Wednesday to desist from firing a
long-range missile, while South Korea called on the United States to talk
directly with North Korea to forestall a launch.
Premier Wen Jiabao said China was paying close attention to information that
North Korea may be preparing a test-launch and urged Pyongyang to avoid any
actions that would aggravate regional tensions and further derail long-stalled
negotiations on the North's nuclear fuel programs.
Chinese Premier Wen
Jiabao (L) shakes hands with Australian Prime Minister John Howard ahead
of their bilateral meeting in Shenzhen June 28, 2006. Howard promised
China on Wednesday that his country would be a reliable supplier of the
energy Asia's number two economy needs to fuel its booming growth.
[Reuters] |
"We hope that the various parties will proceed from the greater interest of
maintaining stability on the Korean Peninsula and refrain from taking measures
that will worsen the situation," Wen said at a joint news conference with
visiting Australian Prime Minister John Howard.
Wen's remarks Wednesday were the first time the senior Chinese leadership
acknowledged concerns about a possible missile launch in the two weeks since
intelligence reports detected North Korean preparations.
"No country in the world has a greater influence on North Korea than China
has," said Howard, in Shenzhen to inaugurate deliveries of Australian natural
gas and discuss a free-trade agreement with Wen.
According to intelligence reports, the missile, a Taepodong-2, was being
fueled at a launch pad on North Korea's northeastern coast. A US government
estimate puts the range of the Taepodong-2 missile at between 5,000 and 7,500
miles, making it capable of reaching the United States.
Wen did not say what actions China was taking to pressure Pyongyang. And a
senior South Korean official took a different tack, urging Washington to talk
directly with Pyongyang - a demand a North Korean diplomat has hinted at
but that the Bush administration has refused.
"Our government has the view that the US administration should also be more
actively involved in discussions," South Korean Unification Minister Lee
Jong-seok said in a speech reported by the Yonhap news agency. "We will continue
to push for this matter. ... The most important thing is to stop North Korea
from firing a missile."
The remarks of Wen and Lee come a day after the Chinese and South Korean
foreign ministers conferred in Beijing on the missile issue. The two countries,
both North Korean neighbors, have drawn closer in recent years, joined by
burgeoning economic ties they don't want to see disrupted by regional crises.