North Korean leader Kim Jong-il did not apologize for his regime's nuclear test when a special envoy from China's president visited Pyongyang last week, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said yesterday.
South Korean news reports said last week that Kim had expressed regret for the Oct. 9 test during a visit by State Councilor Tang Jia-xuan (唐家璇), who delivered a personal message from Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤).
"These reports are certainly not accurate," ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao (
Liu also said that the North Koreans told Tang's delegation that "it did not have the will to carry out a second test."
"But if it faces pressure, North Korea reserves the right to take further actions," Liu said, citing Tang.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had earlier cast doubt on the reports. She told reporters that Tang had not mentioned the apology or no-test promise when she met him in Beijing on Friday, a day after Tang met Kim in Pyongyang.
Liu's comments appeared to be a warning that if goaded by international weapons and financial sanctions imposed in punishment for its test, the isolated nation could again defy international warnings with a second nuclear test.
In a sign China took Kim's threat seriously, Liu also warned against expanding the sanctions.
"All parties should not willfully interpret or expand the sanctions," he said.
China, which has traditionally opposed sanctions and advocated dialogue, supported the UN Security Council action against North Korea and condemned the North's test in unusually forceful language.
But Beijing also fears sanctions that could squeeze impoverished North Korea so hard it collapses, causing instability on its borders and a wave of refugees.
"Sanctions are not the end. They should serve the goal of peacefully settling the crisis through dialogue and consultation," Liu said.
He added that during Tang's visit, North Korea had restated that it was willing to return to six-party talks aimed at dismantling its nuclear program.
The talks, which are also attended by the US, South Korea, Japan and Russia, have been stalled for nearly a year.
BACKLASH: The National Party quit its decades-long partnership with the Liberal Party after their election loss to center-left Labor, which won a historic third term Australia’s National Party has split from its conservative coalition partner of more than 60 years, the Liberal Party, citing policy differences over renewable energy and after a resounding loss at a national election this month. “Its time to have a break,” Nationals leader David Littleproud told reporters yesterday. The split shows the pressure on Australia’s conservative parties after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor party won a historic second term in the May 3 election, powered by a voter backlash against US President Donald Trump’s policies. Under the long-standing partnership in state and federal politics, the Liberal and National coalition had shared power
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
A documentary whose main subject, 25-year-old photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza weeks before it premiered at Cannes stunned viewers into silence at the festival on Thursday. As the cinema lights came back on, filmmaker Sepideh Farsi held up an image of the young Palestinian woman killed with younger siblings on April 16, and encouraged the audience to stand up and clap to pay tribute. “To kill a child, to kill a photographer is unacceptable,” Farsi said. “There are still children to save. It must be done fast,” the exiled Iranian filmmaker added. With Israel
Africa has established the continent’s first space agency to boost Earth observation and data sharing at a time when a more hostile global context is limiting the availability of climate and weather information. The African Space Agency opened its doors last month under the umbrella of the African Union and is headquartered in Cairo. The new organization, which is still being set up and hiring people in key positions, is to coordinate existing national space programs. It aims to improve the continent’s space infrastructure by launching satellites, setting up weather stations and making sure data can be shared across
RSS