Sino, US defence talks on NKorea

CHINA: US and Chinese defence officials were to meet for talks in Beijing on Tuesday with the Americans expected to seek Beijing's support for international pressure on North Korea.

The US delegation led by Michele Flournoy, under-secretary for defence, was also expected to push for closer US-China defence ties following concerns in Washington over Beijing's expanding military and recent stand-offs at sea.

"North Korea will factor in very strongly," a Pentagon official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told reporters in Washington over the weekend.

Pyongyang's recent nuclear test and missile launches have caused "great concern" in China, he said.

"We would hope that China would use whatever influence they have with North Korea to convince them to change their behaviour," he added. The state-run China Daily newspaper quoted an unnamed Chinese military official due to attend the talks that the two delegations would look for ways to cooperate over issues such as nuclear disarmament.

The UN Security Council adopted a resolution on June 12 that included financial sanctions on North Korea after Pyongyang carried out its second nuclear test last month and several missile launches.

China, which shares a border with North Korea, is the isolated state's main ally.

Beijing has always favoured cautious diplomacy with Pyongyang, wary of causing its hardline regime to collapse and potentially sending millions of refugees streaming over its border, yet it supported the UN resolution.

Beijing, Tuesday, AFP