BEIJING- China today hit back at the United States and its Asian allies for their refusal to talk to North Korea, saying dialogue was the only way to calm escalating tension on the divided Korean peninsula.
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China took a more belligerent tone a day after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hosted her South Korean and Japanese counterparts in Washington, calling a report that it was shielding Pyongyang’s nuclear program an “irresponsible accusation.”
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Washington, Seoul and Tokyo have been lukewarm towards Beijing’s proposal for emergency talks between the six regional powers, worried they could be perceived as rewarding Pyongyang for its deadly attack on a South Korean island two weeks ago.
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They want China to bring its ally North Korea to heel, pressure Beijing has repeatedly resisted.
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“The responsibility of maintaining peace and stability in Northeast Asia should be shouldered by all parties in the region,” China’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told a regular news conference.
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“All parties are stakeholders. We call on the parties to positively respond to our proposals to resolve the conflict through dialogue and negotiation.”
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China, the North’s main ally and host of stalled six-party talks with North Korea, has been trying hard to take a neutral line in the dispute. (Reuters)
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