China and Japan differ on tactics to halt North Korea’s nuclear programme
Japan’s UN representative called for stronger measures while Beijing’s urged dialogue with Pyongyang after a UN Security Council meeting on missile tests
Japan and China appeared to disagree about additional efforts to halt North Korea’s nuclear programme, with Japan’s UN representative calling for stronger measures and his Beijing counterpart urging dialogue with Pyongyang.
Japan’s Koro Bessho and China’s Liu Jieyi spoke after an emergency UN Security Council meeting on North Korea – the second in as many weeks – to respond to the latest in a series of missile tests by the country’s military. The meeting also included South Korea’s UN Ambassador Cho Tae-yul.
“North Korea is acting in a triumphant and emboldened manner by this most recent launch and is now most clearly demonstrating that it is determined to further bolster its nuclear buildup,” Bessho said, referring to North Korea’s most recent ballistic missile test on Sunday.
Japan is working with China, the US, South Korea and Russia “in order to make sure the pressure is still there, is continued and even strengthened so that North Korea will change its policy,” Bessho said.
Speaking separately, Liu suggested the US and North Korea’s neighbours haven’t tried hard enough to find a diplomatic resolution.
