BEIJING, April 7 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations should react cautiously to what the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) claimed to be a satellite launch, China's Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.
"We think that the reaction of the UN Security Council should help safeguard the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and northeast Asia, as well as help promote the six-party talks," ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told a regular press conference.
Jiang said rocket and missile technologies were similar, but satellite launches were different in nature to missile or nuclear tests.
"This issue also involves the right of all countries to the peaceful use of outer space. The UN Security Council should react cautiously," she said.
The DPRK said it successfully launched an "Unha-2" rocket at 11:20 a.m. local time (0220 GMT) Sunday, and sent a "Kwangmyongsong-2" satellite into orbit in about 9 minutes.
The Security Council held an emergency session on Sunday afternoon, but it concluded with no collective response to the rocket launch by the DPRK, but members of the 15-nation council agreed to continue consultations on the issue.
Jiang said China hoped all parties would remain calm and show restraint, properly handle the issue and jointly safeguard peace and stability in the region.
"China will continue to play a constructive role," she said.
Jiang said the promotion of the six-party talks was in the common interests of the international community to realize denuclearization of the Peninsula and maintain peace and stability on the Peninsula and in northeast Asia.
"Parties involved should properly handle this issue from a long-term and overall perspective, and work together for a peaceful and stable Korean Peninsula and northeast Asia," she said.
A South Korean soldier watches a TV news report on DPRK's rocket launch, at a railway station in Seoul April 5, 2009. DPRK launched a long-range rocket over Japan on Sunday. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>
TOKYO, April 7 (Xinhua) -- Japan's House of Representatives on Tuesday adopted a resolution at a plenary session, condemning Pyongyang's rocket launch and urging the government to impose new sanctions on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
The resolution says that the DPRK, disregarding the repeated requests and warnings from the international community, launched a rocket Sunday. Full story
MOSCOW, April 7 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday that hasty decisions should be avoided over the rocket launch of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
"We should avoid making hasty decisions. It is clear that the situation does not arouse joy, it arouses concerns," Lavrov was quoted by the Interfax news agency as telling a news conference. Full story
UNITED NATIONS, April 6 (Xinhua) -- The five permanent members (P5) of the UN Security Council and Japan are scheduled to meet on Tuesday afternoon on the rocket launch by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Japanese UN Ambassador Yukio Takasu said here on Monday.
The Japanese ambassador made the statement as he was out of a meeting with his colleagues from the P5 -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, who began their closed-door meeting here on Monday afternoon. Full story
BEIJING, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi on Sunday held phone talks respectively with U.S secretary of state and foreign ministers of Russia, Japan and South Korea on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) launching activity.
China has noticed the DPRK's announcement of having launched an experimental communications satellite and taken note of the concerns expressed by the relevant parties on this issue, Yang told his counterparts of the U.S., Russia, Japan and South Korea Hillary Clinton, Sergei Lavrov, Hirofumi Nakasone, and Yu Myung Hwan. Full story
UNITED NATIONS, April 5 (Xinhua) -- China said here on Sunday that the reaction of the UN Security Council to the Pyongyang rocket launch should be "cautious and proportionate."
The Chinese permanent representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Zhang Yesui speaks to reporters outside Security Council chambers after an emergency meeting at UN headquarters in New York, the United States, April 5, 2009. China said here on Sunday that the reaction of the UN Security Council to the Pyongyang rocket launch should be "cautious and proportionate." (Xinhua/Gu Xinrong) Photo Gallery>>>
The Chinese permanent representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Zhang Yesui, made the statement to the press here at the end of a closed-door meeting of the Security Council. The 15-nation Council on Sunday afternoon held an emergency session on the rocket launch by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) at the request of Japan. Full story
WASHINGTON, April 6 (Xinhua) -- The United States wants to have a strong, effective, coordinated response from the UN Security Council to Pyongyang's rocket launch, the State Department said on Monday.
"Consultations are continuing with key players on the Council on next steps. We want to see a strong response come from UN Security Council on this issue," said acting spokesman Robert Woodat a daily press briefing. Full story
TOKYO, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Japan said it can not confirm whether a satellite, which Pyongyang claims was on the rocket, has entered orbit around Earth and terminated the interception order on Monday.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura said Japan has no information that "satellite" is transmitting data from space as asserted by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). Full story
MOSCOW, April 6 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has not placed its satellite into the near-Earth orbit, Russian media reported Monday.
"Our space control system has not registered the placement of the DPRK satellite into orbit. According to our data, it simply is not there," the Interfax news agency cited a high-ranking source with the Russian General Staff as saying. Full story
UNITED NATIONS, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council on Sunday afternoon began to meet behind closed doors to discuss how to respond to the rocket launch of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), as the United States seeks "a strong collective action" and France wants to see "unanimous action."
The 15-nation Council kicked off the emergency session at about3:15 p.m. EDT (1915 GMT) on Sunday at the request of the Japanese Mission to the United Nations. Full story
WASHINGTON, April 5 (Xinhua) -- U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice said Sunday the United States expects the UN Security Council to take "the most appropriate and strong response" to the missile launch by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
Yukio Takasu, Japan's Ambassador to the United Nations, addresses the media prior to an emergency Security Council meeting called by Japan on April 5, 2009 at UN headquarters in New York after the rocket launch of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). (Xinhua/Gu Xinrong) Photo Gallery>>>
"The U.S. is working very closely with Japan," Rice told ABC television, hours before the UN Security Council holds an emergency session to discuss the DPRK rocket launch. Full story
BEIJING, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said here Sunday that China has taken notice of the launching activity by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Sunday morning, and also noticed responses from relevant parties.
"The DPRK earlier announced to launch experimental communications satellite. We have taken notice of the launching activity by the DPRK this morning, and also noticed responses from relevant sides," Jiang said. Full story
SEOUL, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) failed to send a satellite into orbit, South Korean Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee said Sunday.
The DPRK official media reported earlier that it had successfully launched a rocket carrying a communications satellite. Full story
