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BOAO, China In an indirect but clear reference to the North Korean crisis, Chinas president, Xi Jinping, said Sunday that world peace should not be put at risk because of a single country.
No one should be allowed to throw a region and even the whole world into chaos for selfish gain, Mr. Xi said in a speech at an annual regional business forum in Boao, China. Mr. Xi did not single out any countries or disputes, but in separate remarks, Chinas Foreign Ministry repeated its grave concern over the rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
At the same time, South Koreas government warned that North Korea might carry out another provocative act this week, possibly a missile test, as a way to extract concessions from Washington and Seoul.
As North Koreas major ally, China has been discomfited by the behavior of the Norths leader, Kim Jong-un, but it has refrained from making pronouncements that would signal what, if anything, it planned to do to rein in North Korea.
The Obama administration, in response to the Norths threats to fire missiles at the United States, has said that it will strengthen its missile defenses, and it has sent jet fighters, bombers and warships to the area as a show of support for South Korea.
Mr. Xi did not mention the American actions in his speech at the Boao Forum, but China has grown increasingly concerned about efforts by the United States to reassert itself in Asia. He said Asias stability faced new challenges as hot spot issues keep emerging and both traditional and nontraditional security threats surfaced. Obama administration officials say that Beijing faces a choice between cracking down on North Korea or facing a larger American military presence in East Asia.
But it is unclear how much China can moderate the Norths behavior. North Korea ignored Chinas wishes when it carried out a nuclear test in February. That test led to more United Nations economic sanctions which China agreed to despite reservations about their effectiveness and set the stage for the Norths latest conflict with the United States and South Korea.
The South Korean governments new warning came three days after its defense minister said that the North had moved a missile with a considerable range to its east coast, although it is not capable of reaching the mainland United States.
Kim Jang-soo, director of national security for President Park Geun-hye of South Korea, said during a meeting of security-related officials on Sunday that the North may launch a provocation, such as missile launch, around Wednesday. The missile that was moved is widely believed to be the Musudan, which the South Korean military and analysts say has the range to hit South Korea and Japan and perhaps American bases in Guam as well.
North Korea has been engaged in a so-called headline strategy, Kim Jang-soo said, referring to an almost daily drumbeat of North Korean threats since early March and the news stories they have generated.
North Korea is raising tensions in an effort to frighten and force the United States and South Korea into negotiations and concessions, he said. The pressure was also aimed at China and Russia in an effort to push them to mediate on North Koreas behalf, he said.
We see through their motive, he said. Although North Korea shows no signs of attempting a full-scale war, it will suffer damage many times more than we do if it launches even a localized provocation.
South Korea has no intention of attempting premature dialogue just because of a crisis, Mr. Kim said, urging the North to ease tensions so talks can start.
In an interview on the ABC News program This Week on Sunday, President Obamas senior adviser, Dan Pfeiffer, declined to discuss what the United States would do if North Korea tested another missile, but said that it would not be a surprise if it did. We have taken the steps we need to be able to protect our allies, protect the homeland, Mr. Pfeiffer said. The real focus and the onus is on North Korea to do the right thing.
Two senior senators also criticized China on Sunday for not doing more to press North Korea to tone down its confrontational stance. The Chinese hold a lot of the cards here, Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York, said on the CBS News program Face the Nation. Theyre by nature cautious, but theyre carrying it to an extreme. Its about time they stepped up to the plate and put a little pressure on this North Korean regime.
Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, appeared on the same program and said China could use its economic leverage over North Korea, cutting off support entirely if they want to. Mr. McCain said Chinas failure to push North Korea was very disappointing.
Mr. Xis remarks, which were primarily focused on economic and social issues in Asia, did not mention any specific dispute, but he promised a constructive approach to regional tensions and unremitting efforts to properly handle relevant issues through dialogue and negotiations.
Obama administration officials say that Chinas stance toward North Korea is evolving. In the past week, Chinas Foreign Ministry has released several statements saying that it considers the North Korean situation to be of grave concern. On Sunday, the ministry repeated that phrase, saying that China had requested that North Korea protect foreign diplomats living in Pyongyang, the Norths capital. North Korean authorities has told foreign embassies to inform them by Wednesday whether they need assistance in evacuating because of rising tensions on the peninsula.
Currently, tensions on the Korean Peninsula continue to escalate, and China expresses grave concern about this, according to the statement by the ministry spokesman, Hong Lei. The Chinese government has already requested that North Korea abide by the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and other international laws and practices and thoroughly ensure the safety of Chinese Embassy and consular personnel resident in North Korea.
The North gave similar warnings to some of the 123 South Korean factories in the joint industrial park in the North Korean city of Kaesong, said Mr. Kim, the Souths national security director. For a fifth consecutive day, North Korea blocked South Korean workers and supplies from entering the factory park, forcing 13 plants to stop production as of Sunday.
Jane Perlez reported from Boao, and Choe Sang-Hun from Seoul, South Korea. Christopher Buckley contributed reporting from Hong Kong, and Steven Lee Myers from Washington.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/08/w...all-to-avoid-chaos-for-selfish-gain.html?_r=0
No one should be allowed to throw a region and even the whole world into chaos for selfish gain, Mr. Xi said in a speech at an annual regional business forum in Boao, China. Mr. Xi did not single out any countries or disputes, but in separate remarks, Chinas Foreign Ministry repeated its grave concern over the rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
At the same time, South Koreas government warned that North Korea might carry out another provocative act this week, possibly a missile test, as a way to extract concessions from Washington and Seoul.
As North Koreas major ally, China has been discomfited by the behavior of the Norths leader, Kim Jong-un, but it has refrained from making pronouncements that would signal what, if anything, it planned to do to rein in North Korea.
The Obama administration, in response to the Norths threats to fire missiles at the United States, has said that it will strengthen its missile defenses, and it has sent jet fighters, bombers and warships to the area as a show of support for South Korea.
Mr. Xi did not mention the American actions in his speech at the Boao Forum, but China has grown increasingly concerned about efforts by the United States to reassert itself in Asia. He said Asias stability faced new challenges as hot spot issues keep emerging and both traditional and nontraditional security threats surfaced. Obama administration officials say that Beijing faces a choice between cracking down on North Korea or facing a larger American military presence in East Asia.
But it is unclear how much China can moderate the Norths behavior. North Korea ignored Chinas wishes when it carried out a nuclear test in February. That test led to more United Nations economic sanctions which China agreed to despite reservations about their effectiveness and set the stage for the Norths latest conflict with the United States and South Korea.
The South Korean governments new warning came three days after its defense minister said that the North had moved a missile with a considerable range to its east coast, although it is not capable of reaching the mainland United States.
Kim Jang-soo, director of national security for President Park Geun-hye of South Korea, said during a meeting of security-related officials on Sunday that the North may launch a provocation, such as missile launch, around Wednesday. The missile that was moved is widely believed to be the Musudan, which the South Korean military and analysts say has the range to hit South Korea and Japan and perhaps American bases in Guam as well.
North Korea has been engaged in a so-called headline strategy, Kim Jang-soo said, referring to an almost daily drumbeat of North Korean threats since early March and the news stories they have generated.
North Korea is raising tensions in an effort to frighten and force the United States and South Korea into negotiations and concessions, he said. The pressure was also aimed at China and Russia in an effort to push them to mediate on North Koreas behalf, he said.
We see through their motive, he said. Although North Korea shows no signs of attempting a full-scale war, it will suffer damage many times more than we do if it launches even a localized provocation.
South Korea has no intention of attempting premature dialogue just because of a crisis, Mr. Kim said, urging the North to ease tensions so talks can start.
In an interview on the ABC News program This Week on Sunday, President Obamas senior adviser, Dan Pfeiffer, declined to discuss what the United States would do if North Korea tested another missile, but said that it would not be a surprise if it did. We have taken the steps we need to be able to protect our allies, protect the homeland, Mr. Pfeiffer said. The real focus and the onus is on North Korea to do the right thing.
Two senior senators also criticized China on Sunday for not doing more to press North Korea to tone down its confrontational stance. The Chinese hold a lot of the cards here, Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York, said on the CBS News program Face the Nation. Theyre by nature cautious, but theyre carrying it to an extreme. Its about time they stepped up to the plate and put a little pressure on this North Korean regime.
Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, appeared on the same program and said China could use its economic leverage over North Korea, cutting off support entirely if they want to. Mr. McCain said Chinas failure to push North Korea was very disappointing.
Mr. Xis remarks, which were primarily focused on economic and social issues in Asia, did not mention any specific dispute, but he promised a constructive approach to regional tensions and unremitting efforts to properly handle relevant issues through dialogue and negotiations.
Obama administration officials say that Chinas stance toward North Korea is evolving. In the past week, Chinas Foreign Ministry has released several statements saying that it considers the North Korean situation to be of grave concern. On Sunday, the ministry repeated that phrase, saying that China had requested that North Korea protect foreign diplomats living in Pyongyang, the Norths capital. North Korean authorities has told foreign embassies to inform them by Wednesday whether they need assistance in evacuating because of rising tensions on the peninsula.
Currently, tensions on the Korean Peninsula continue to escalate, and China expresses grave concern about this, according to the statement by the ministry spokesman, Hong Lei. The Chinese government has already requested that North Korea abide by the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and other international laws and practices and thoroughly ensure the safety of Chinese Embassy and consular personnel resident in North Korea.
The North gave similar warnings to some of the 123 South Korean factories in the joint industrial park in the North Korean city of Kaesong, said Mr. Kim, the Souths national security director. For a fifth consecutive day, North Korea blocked South Korean workers and supplies from entering the factory park, forcing 13 plants to stop production as of Sunday.
Jane Perlez reported from Boao, and Choe Sang-Hun from Seoul, South Korea. Christopher Buckley contributed reporting from Hong Kong, and Steven Lee Myers from Washington.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/08/w...all-to-avoid-chaos-for-selfish-gain.html?_r=0
