Chinese President Hu Jintao remained non-committal Sunday in blaming North Korea for the deadly sinking of a warship in March at talks with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, a repetitive stance that drew unusually blunt criticism from the U.S. leader, Yonhap News reported in Toronto.
In a one-on-one summit with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak on the sidelines of a G-20 meeting in Toronto, Hu reasserted Beijing disapproves of any act that disrupts peace on the Korean Peninsula but stopped short of directly blaming North Korea, according to Lee's office, Cheong Wa Dae.
"As North Korea's continued provocation poses a grave threat to the peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and the Northeast Asian region, proper international cooperation is necessary to prevent its recurrence," Lee was quoted as saying.
Hu replied, "I fully understand South Korea's position. Let's continue close consultations in the process of responding (to the issue) at the U.N. Security Council."
South Korea has requested that the U.N. Security Council discuss punitive measures against North Korea for its deadly naval attack on the 1,200-ton corvette in March. Forty-six sailors were killed as the Cheonan sank from what a multinational probe concluded was the North's unprovoked torpedo attack.
Hu said China "condemns and opposes any act that destroys the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula," but did not name North Korea, repeating what Beijing usually says when South Korea, Japan and their western allies push for tough sanctions against the impoverished communist ally.
China's cooperation is essential to South Korea's efforts to get a new sanctions resolution or a strongly worded presidential statement against North Korea at the Security Council in connection with the Cheonan incident, as Beijing is a permanent member with veto powers.