China reacts to US claims on Koreas row

US Admiral Mike Mullen (L), chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and his South Korean counterpart General Han Min-koo, attend a joint news conference at the defence ministry in Seoul December 8, 2010. Reuters photo

Source; Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/154762.html


China has reacted critically to recent comments by US officials accusing Beijing of “enabling Pyongyang to carry out reckless behavior.”

Earlier, the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen claimed that Beijing has failed to live up to its role as a global power by not doing enough to defuse tensions between North and South Korea.

Mullen also declared that the US and its allies in the region should carry out more joint military drills, after meeting with his South Korean counterpart, General Han Min-koo on Wednesday.

China sharply criticized the US military exercises in the Yellow Sea off China and North Korea, saying that the maneuvers will only escalate tensions.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu has launched a frontal attack on Adm. Mullen for his statements.

Yu said at a media briefing in Beijing on Thursday that China wanted to know what Adm. Mullen had done for "peace and stability in the region."

China says promoting the atmosphere of dialogue and cooperation is the only way forward to help deal with tensions on the Korean peninsula.

North Korea, on the other hand, has warned that the US-led war games could bring the Koreas closer to the brink of war.

Pyongyang accuses US President Barack Obama of plotting with regional allies to topple the country's government, insisting that its nuclear program is a deterrent against US forces in the region.

Meanwhile, China's most senior foreign policymaker Dai Bingguo has met North Korea's Leader Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang on Thursday.

The meeting is the first of its kind since the artillery attack on Yeonpyeong Island, which left four people dead and over a dozen injured. According to Xinhua state news agency, Chinese and North Korean diplomats were able to reach a consensus, although no further details were given.