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China shows no interest in joining Korea talks

BEIJING: China indicated on Tuesday it had little interest in joining talks proposed by the United States to ease tensions on the volatile Korean peninsular.

"It is our hope that the interested parties will seek to resolve their differences through consultations," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Shen Guofang told reporters.

North Korea sent shivers across Asia earlier this month when it sent troops into the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) that separates it from rival South Korea and said it was abandoning its obligations to the 43-year-old armistice accord that halted the 1950-53 Korean War.

Shen said there was still disagreement about how to negotiate an end to the recent tensions between Pyongyang and Seoul and that they should sort out their differences among themselves.

"That should be a decision left to the sovereign states to make according to their own circumstances," said Shen.

Pyongyang has said South Korea is a U.S. puppet state and that it will only negotiate with Washington. For their part, Washington and Seoul have insisted that talks cannot take place without South Korea.

Last month, China said Beijing hoped North and South Korea could reach a new peace agreement, but added that the current truce should be respected.

China sent troops to support Pyongyang during the Korean War.-Reuter