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Seoul (AFP) Dec 26, 2010 Defence ministers of South Korea and China will hold a meeting in Beijing in February, a report said Sunday, amid high military tension following North Korea's deadly attack on a border island. Kim Kwan-Jin and his Chinese counterpart Liang Guanglie will discuss regional security issues including the North's military provocations, Yonhap news agency reported, quoting a defence ministry official. "The two will largely discuss how to further revitalise military cooperation between the two countries, but they will also discuss regional security issues like the North's attack on the Cheonan warship and bombing on Yeonpyeong island," Yonhap quoted the official as saying. The official was referring to the sinking of a South Korean warship and deaths of 46 sailors in March which Seoul has blamed on the North and the deadly shelling of a frontier island that left four South Koreans -- including two civilians -- dead in November. Seoul's defence ministry declined to comment. Kim took office earlier this month after his predecessor Kim Tae-Young quit to take responsibility for the military's perceived feeble response to the shelling. Pyongyang said it was retaliating for a South Korean firing drill that dropped shells into waters that it claims are North Korean territory. The bombardment, the first attack on a civilian area since the 1950-1953 Korean War, sparked a regional crisis, prompting a flurry of diplomatic attempts in the region and Washington to defuse tension. China, the North's major ally and economic lifeblood, has faced mounting pressure to step up efforts to restrain its unruly ally. Beijing's refusal to directly criticise Pyongyang for the attack drew angry comments from South Korean media and prompted several protests by activists. Kim, during the talks, will likely urge his Chinese counterpart to work harder to curb Pyongyang's belligerence, Yonhap reported. The South, in a show of force against the North, has also staged a series of military drills, including a massive joint exercise with the US on the Yellow Sea despite nearby China's discomfort. The North threatened Thursday that it was ready for a "sacred war" using its nuclear weapons, as the South held its second live-fire drill in a week. Pyongyang's armed forces minister Kim Yong-Chun said the South's firing drill on December 20, on Yeonpyeong island near the Yellow Sea border, was preparation for a new Korean war.
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India-China border tensions belie leaders' warm wordsNew Delhi (AFP) Dec 25, 2010 The theme of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's visit to India was "friends not rivals," but a border dispute remains a source of tension and, analysts warn, potential conflict between the Asian giants. The joint communique that concluded Wen's recent visit barely mentioned the long-standing border issue, as both sides sought to highlight areas of agreement with an ambitious plan to double trade t ... read more |
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