China rebuffs criticism over stance on Korean Peninsular situation
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China on Tuesday rejected criticisms over its stance on the Korean Peninsular situation, saying it would never "pour oil on the fire" at a time when calm and restraint were needed.
"China's stance and efforts are fair and irreproachable. We will not do things like pouring oil on the fire," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang at a regular news briefing.
Media reports said U.S. President Barack Obama had criticized China's "willful blindness" to the actions of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) with regard to the sinking of a Republic of Korea (ROK) warship.
"China borders on the Korean Peninsular, and we have our own feeling on the issue, different from that of the countries tens of thousands miles away. We have more direct and intense concerns," said Qin.
On March 26, the 1,200-ton Navy frigate "Cheonan," with 104 crew members onboard, went down off the ROK island of Baekryeong off the west coast due to an unexplained explosion. Forty-six sailors were killed.
Seoul said after completing an investigation that the warship was torpedoed by the DPRK. But Pyongyang has denied its involvement in the incident.
China has repeatedly urged all sides to maintain calm and restraint so to avoid an escalation of the situation.
"On the Cheonan issue, we will not be partial to any party, but make objective judgments in line with the facts," said Qin.
Qin said a turning point needed to be reached urgently, not intensification or confrontation, calling on all sides to deal with the Cheonan incident through dialogue and consultations.
Qin said if the Korean Peninsular wanted long-term development and stability, that denuclearization must first be realized.
"We are willing to make joint efforts with parties concerned to realize the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsular through pushing forward the six-party talks," said Qin.
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