BEIJING, China (Reuters) — China reiterated their opposition to any violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions and urged all parties to exercise restraint on Friday (June 23), a day after North Korea carried out another test of a rocket engine.
A U.S. official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity on Thursday (June 22), said the test, the latest in a series of engine and missile trials this year, could be part of the isolated country’s program to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
The disclosure of the North’s engine test came a day after the United States pressed China to exert more economic and diplomatic pressure on North Korea to help rein in its nuclear and missile programs during a round of high-level talks in Washington.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang repeated the statement that China has been making “unremitting efforts to resolve” tensions on the Korean peninsula. “We hope all parties should make their own efforts and shoulder their own responsibilities,” he added.
North Korea’s state media, which is normally quick to publicize successful missile-related developments, did not carry any reports on the engine test. South Korean officials did not have details about the reported test and declined to comment on the possible nature of the engine.
