China's foreign ministry Monday denied a report that it had received advance knowledge of North Korea's preparation for fresh nuclear tests and a rocket launch, while appealing for relevant countries not to take actions that may worsen the situation on the Korean Peninsula.
Asked to comment on the report by Reuters, Hong Lei, a ministry spokesman, said he "did not know where the Reuters report came from."
"The situation on the peninsula is currently sensitive and complicated. We appeal for all relevant parties to remain calm and not to take actions that may worsen the situation," Hong said.
His remarks came in the wake of staunch warnings from the EU, the US, South Korea and Japan that Pyongyang would face tightened sanctions from each, unbound by potential sanctions by the UN Security Council after the North's latest nuclear test on February 12.
Analysts said China has done its best to serve as a coordinator of the nuclear issue and Pyongyang deserves all the consequences, including sanctions from the Chinese side, for its defiant nuclear test and rocket launch.
"I would not agree to arguments saying China's policy toward North Korea has failed. The essence of the nuclear issue is the bilateral interaction between Pyongyang and Washington. China, as a coordinator, shouldn't be singled out to blame for downturns in this complicated matter," said Wang Junsheng, a researcher on Korean Peninsular issues with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
"At the same time, China is not sheltering North Korea. The North deserves punishments from all parties, including from China, as it refused to take advice and warnings from other countries. I believe China this time is quite likely to unleash severe sanctions against North Korea to let it feel the pain," Wang told the Global Times on Monday.
European Union governments Monday agreed to tighten sanctions against North Korea. The sanctions expand those approved by the UN Security Council in January, adding measures preventing trading in North Korean government bonds, gold, precious metals, and diamonds, EU diplomats said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his US counterpart John Kerry held their first telephone talk on Sunday, in which the two agreed on the need for close cooperation in New York on a swift response to North Korea's latest provocative step, US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.
Pyongyang must have misjudged the international environment and miscalculated the gains and losses following its nuclear test, Wang said.
However, Zhang Jian, a researcher at the Department for Asia-Pacific Security and Cooperation under the China Institute of International Studies, said China might remain undecided on how to react to a restive North Korea.
"As far as I can tell, the Chinese leadership is divided on how to tackle this hot potato," Zhang told the Global Times.
"China's North Korea policies are at a crossroad. The North's nuclear test could be a good reason for Chinese decision makers to alter their approaches to North Korea, but China will risk becoming the enemy of its unpredictable neighbor," Zhang said.
South Korea's Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported on Monday that North Korea conducted combustion testing for the engine of a mobile long-range missile KN-08 only a day before its third nuclear test.
This suggested that it will be difficult for the North to test-launch a real missile soon, the newspaper said.
However, the South Korean defense ministry said it has maintained high military alertness and close surveillance of North Korea to monitor signs of additional nuclear tests or provocations, according to the Yonhap News Agency.
Agencies contributed to this story