Xi voices opposition to violating UN resolutions in apparent warning to N. Korea

Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and US President Barack Obama / Yonhap

In an apparent warning to North Korea, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Friday he opposes any action that violates U.N. Security Council resolutions as he and President Barack Obama reaffirmed their commitment to a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.

Xi made the remark during a joint press conference after summit talks with Obama at the White House as concerns have grown that North Korea could launch a long-range rocket or conduct a nuclear test next month in violation of U.N. resolutions.

"We reaffirm our commitment to realize the complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful way and we oppose any action that might cause tension in the Korean peninsula or violate U.N. Security Council resolutions," Xi said.

Xi did not mention North Korea by name, but it was pretty clear that he was referring to Pyongyang.

It is highly unusual for a Chinese leader to publicly issue such a warning, given that Beijing has been reluctant to criticize North Korea and has usually urged all sides to exercise calm and restraint when it comes to tensions on the Korean Peninsula."

Xi also said that a 2005 agreement on North Korea's denuclearizations and U.N. resolutions should be "implemented in full and all relevant parties should work together to firmly advance the denuclearization process of the Korean peninsula and maintain peace and stability so as to achieve enduring peace and stability in Northeast Asia."

U.S. President Barack Obama also reiterated his commitment to realizing a nuclear-free peninsula.

"The United States and China have reaffirmed our commitments to the complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean peninsula in a peaceful manner," Obama said. "We demand the full implementation of all relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions and we will not accept North Korea as a nuclear weapons state."

China is North Korea's last remaining major ally and a key provider of food and fuel. But it has been reluctant to use its influence for fear that pushing the regime too hard could result in instability on the border and hurt Chinese national interests.

Analysts have said that China has often increased pressure on the North, especially when Pyongyang defies international appeals and carries out nuclear tests and other provocative acts, but never went as far as to cause real harm to the North.

But Xi's remarks on Friday raised speculation that Beijing's strategic calculus of North Korea could change.

Relations between Pyongyang and Beijing significantly soured after Xi took office in late 2012 and the North carried out its third nuclear test a few months later. Xi is the first Chinese leader to visit South Korea before North Korea.

Xi has neither visited the North nor met with its young leader, Kim Jong-un, although he held a series of summit meetings with South Korean President Park Geun-hye. In another sign of strengthening ties between Seoul and Beijing, Park also attended China's war anniversary celebrations early this month.

Friday's summit took on a series of thorny issues that have plagued relations between the U.S. and China, such as cyber-hacking and territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Obama and Xi found common ground on cybersecurity, but clashed over territorial issues.

"We have agreed that neither the U.S. or the Chinese government will conduct or knowingly support cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property, including trade secrets or other confidential business information for commercial advantage," Obama said.

"In addition, we'll work together and with other nations to promote international rules of the road for appropriate conduct in cyberspace. So this is progress, but I have to insist that our work is not yet done. I believe we can expand our cooperation in this area," he said.

On the maritime territorial disputes, Obama said the U.S. "will continue to sail, fly and operate anywhere that international law allows" and denounced China's reclamation project in the area for hurting efforts to peacefully resolve the disputes.

Xi refused to back down, saying, "Islands in the South China Sea, since ancient times, are China's territory. We have the right to uphold our own territorial sovereignty and lawful and legitimate maritime rights and interests."

He also insisted the construction project does "not target or impact any country and China does not intend to pursue militarization."

Xi said, however, that China is committed to "managing differences and disputes through dialogue" and to respecting and upholding the freedom of navigation and overflight that countries enjoy according to international law. (Yonhap)