The US and Japan vowed yesterday to punish North Korea for its missile tests, refusing to budge for China and Russia which are fighting at the UN to impose new sanctions.
The US, however, also reached out to North Korea, saying it was ready to sit down one-on-one if the communist state returned to multinational talks on its nuclear and missile programs.
US envoy Christopher Hill, on a whirlwind tour after the missile launches, called for China to close ranks with Washington after receiving a lukewarm response in Beijing on Friday.
PHOTO: AP
"We had very good discussions with the Chinese and made very clear our very deep concerns about what is going on in the DPRK, and I called upon the Chinese to understand that we will be much more effective if we speak with one voice," Hill told reporters during talks in Seoul, his second stop.
Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso was more blunt, pledging not to give in to Russia and China, which hold veto power on the Security Council -- a privilege Tokyo has long sought in vain.
"We may amend the draft but we are firm on the binding resolution that includes sanctions," Aso said in a speech in Osaka. "Japan will not compromise. We will go all the way."
The UN draft resolution backed by Washington and Tokyo would block the transfer of items to the North that could be used in missile and weapons of mass destruction programs.
South Korea expressed caution over the US and Japanese move to punish Pyongyang, saying the focus should be on engaging the communist regime.
China, the North's neighbor and main ally, and Russia have both warned against further isolating Pyongyang, which is already under a barrage of sanctions.
Han Song-ryol, the North's deputy ambassador to the UN, has warned that UN sanctions would be an "act of war."
In an interview with South Korea's Yonhap news agency, Han said the North would return to talks if Washington lifted separate sanctions on a Macau bank accused of money-laundering and counterfeiting on its behalf.
The US yesterday rejected the demand.
"To be very frank, I think this is not a time for so-called gestures of that kind," Hill said.
But he said he would be ready to meet North Korea separately if it returned to the Six Party Talks, including a potential informal round Beijing is hoping to organize this month in the city of Shenyang.
Meanwhile, a new top-of-the-line US guided missile destroyer with missile-tracking radar was deployed to Japan yesterday.
The USS Mustin arrived yesterday at Yokosuka, homeport to the US Navy's 7th Fleet, with its crew of 300 sailors for permanent assignment to the region, said 7th Fleet spokeswoman Hanako Tomizuka.
The move comes as the US restructures its regional defenses amid growing concern about the nuclear ambitions of North Korea.
Next month, Yokosuka will also welcome the USS Shiloh, which last month demonstrated its ability to shoot down missile warheads in a test off the coast of Hawaii.
The Mustin is one of the most advanced in the fleet, but its deployment to Yokosuka was previously planned and not made in response to North Korea's latest missile shots, Tomizuka said.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source