China may change its position on Cheonan tragedy

For weeks leading to the official announcement of the Cheonan tragedy, Chinese diplomats had told South Korean counterpart that brining North Korea to the U.N. body wouldn't be a good idea, according to the local JoongAng Ilbo newspaper Saturday.

"For weeks, Chinese diplomats in Seoul told diplomats from other countries in South Korea that taking the matter to the U.N. would 'upset' North Korea. So, it would not (be) a good idea," it said citing an unnamed source.

However, China is now showing signs of subtle changes after the official announcement on Thursday by international inspectors that held North Korea as the culprit for the deadly naval attack.

"China's attitude has changed compared to before," an unnamed South Korean government official told the newspaper.

"In the past, its stance was not to take the matter to the U.N. Security Council. But now, they have become more prudent," the official said.

The official declined to elaborate on how the Chinese have changed.

China is expected to state its official stance by the time of the East Asian Summit where Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao will meet his counterparts from South Korea and Japan, it said.