China reluctant to back Korea sanctions

[OhioChick]

By ALEXA OLESEN, Associated Press Writer
51 minutes ago

BEIJING - China appeared to shy away Thursday from backing U.S. efforts to impose a travel ban and financial sanctions on North Korea for its claimed nuclear test, saying any U.N. action should focus on bringing its communist neighbor back to talks.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said North Korea should understand it had made a mistake but "punishment should not be the purpose" of any U.N. response.

U.N. action "should be conducive to the de-nuclearization of the Korean peninsula ... and the resumption of the talks," he told reporters. "It's necessary to express clearly to North Korea that ... the international community is opposed to this nuclear test."

The United States has circulated a new U.N. Security Council resolution that seeks to ban travel by people involved in North Korea's weapons program but softens some other measures to win Russian and Chinese support. North Korea warned it would consider increased U.S. pressure an act of war and take unspecified countermeasures.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061012/ap_on_re_as/koreas_nuclear

[David__77]

1. What sellouts...

Now that China was nuclear weapons, it opposes any other country having the same thing. China used to stand with the third world - no more.

[OhioChick]

2. While all eyes have been

on other countries, China has become a sleeping giant.