China Neutral on Cheonan Incident

The People's Republic of China has recently decided to hold back on blaming North Korea for sinking the South Korean warship Cheonan. This decision by the Chinese has made it difficult for new sanctions against North Korea to be put in place quickly.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao met with South Korean and Japanese officials on Sunday. China doesn't seem ready to back new measures against North Korea in the UN Security Council.

"The urgent task for the moment is to properly handle the serious impact caused by the Cheonan incident, gradually defuse tensions over it and avoid possible conflicts," Wen said.

In Japan, Wen received an extensive briefing on the investigation into the ship sinking. He also expressed condolences for the dead sailors and their families. Analysts are predicting China will soon change its position and support sanctions, but China has said it will not defend any country once it finds out who really caused the incident.

"Because of the South Korean war-loving, mad puppets and American invaders, the North and South relationship is being driven to a catastrophe," Choi Yong Rim, a high-ranking North Korean Party official, said to an angry crowd of tens of thousands of North Koreans.

North Korea has continuously denied responsibility for sinking the South Korean ship.