Beijing: China opposes "any provocative
military acts" on the Korean peninsula, Premier Wen Jiabao has
said, with tensions high after North Korea's shelling of the
South.
"China is firmly committed to maintaining the peace
and stability of the Korean peninsula and opposes any
provocative military acts," Wen said yesterday during a visit
to Moscow, according to a statement issued by the Chinese
Foreign Ministry today.
Wen also called for an early resumption of six-nation
talks on dismantling North Korea's nuclear weapons programmes,
in comments made to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev during a
meeting yesterday.
Wen's comments are the first public statement by
China's top leadership on the escalating tensions on the
Korean peninsula after North Korea shelled a South Korean
island on Tuesday, killing at least four people.
China has come under growing pressure to rein in North
Korea, its neighbour and close ally, after the erratic
Pyongyang regime's latest act.
It was not clear from the statement whether Wen was
referring directly to the North Korean shelling or to planned
US-South Korean military exercises.
Following the incident, the United States and South
Korea announced they would launch a four-day joint naval show
of force beginning on Sunday that will include a US aircraft
carrier in a bid to deter the North.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, November 25, 2010, 21:33