North Korea Watch: China Reluctant to Support United Nations Sanctions

A North Korean soldier reacts to a photographer on a passing boat, on the waterfront at the North Korean town of Sinuiju, opposite the Chinese border city of Dandong Thursday Oct. 12, 2006. The United States on Thursday began pushing for a new U.N. resolution that adds a travel ban on North Korea, while South Korea said it detected no abnormal levels of radioactivity after the North’s claimed nuclear test.

AP: China reluctant to back Korea sanctions

China appeared to shy away Thursday from backing U.S. efforts to impose a travel ban and financial sanctions on North Korea for its claimed nuclear test, saying any U.N. action should focus on bringing its communist neighbor back to talks.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said North Korea should understand it had made a mistake but “punishment should not be the purpose” of any U.N. response.

U.N. action “should be conducive to the de-nuclearization of the Korean peninsula … and the resumption of the talks,” he told reporters. “It’s necessary to express clearly to North Korea that … the international community is opposed to this nuclear test.”

In other words, China WILL NOT sanction their neighbor and major trading partner, North Korea.

So, how IRRELEVANT is the United Nations?

Why bother?

Even the LEFT is asking the question…….

Stay tuned.