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China will not accept N. Korea as 'nuclear-armed state'
SEOUL, May 3 -- China's chief nuclear envoy has told his South Korean counterpart that Beijing will not accept North Korea as a "nuclear-armed state,"
The Chinese envoy Wu Dawei made the remarks when he held talks on Thursday in Beijing with his Seoul counterpart Lim Sung-nam, said the official at Seoul's foreign ministry who is familiar with the Lim-Wu talks. The remarks come amid signs that recent tensions might hurt ties between Beijing and Pyongyang, highlighting China's waning tolerance for its neighbor's provocations. "During the talks, Wu made it clear that China will not accept North Korea as a nuclear-armed state," said the official. "With regard to the issue, I think that we, the U.S. and China have shared a united stance," the official said, adding he "sensed" a growing impatience by China with North Korea's increasing saber-rattling, particularly after the North's December rocket launch and its third nuclear test in February. The official said Chinese officials have shown a "significant difference" in their attitude toward North Korea's provocations during the Beijing talks. Wu's comments also echoed remarks made by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry when he visited Beijing and Seoul last month and told reporters in Seoul that, "The United States will not accept the DPRK (North Korea) as a nuclear state." The Seoul official also confirmed some media reports that China has ordered its provincial government to strictly implement the latest U.N. sanctions that punished the North for conducting the third nuclear test. "I think that China has been increasingly disappointed by the North's provocations, including the December rocket launch and the third nuclear test," the official said. Posted by: Steve White 2013-05-05 |
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