CHINA-NORTH KOREA: LONG-RANGE MISSILE LAUNCH
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North Korea on February 7, 2016 defied international warnings and launched a long-range rocket from its Dongchang-ri missile base in the country's northwest at around 9:30 am, which was tracked separately by the United States, Japan and South Korea. North Korea, which calls its launches part of a peaceful space program, announced through its state media that it had successfully put a new Earth observation satellite into orbit. Meanwhile, the US and Japan requested an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council the same morning. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying expressed “regret” about North Korea’s disregard for the international community’s objections and “insistence on the satellite launch using ballistic missile technologies”. She said "We hope all concerned parties remain cautious and do not take further action that could further escalate the [Korean] peninsula’s situation.” She also called for a resumption of dialogue between the parties. U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice said in a statement that “North Korea’s missile and nuclear weapons programs represent serious threats to our interests – including the security of some of our closest allies – and undermine peace and security in the broader region.” China’s official Xinhua news agency issued two signed commentaries following the launch, warning that the “negative development” not only jeopardised the efforts to resume the six-party talks for Korean Peninsula denuclearization, but also that the peninsula could risk developing a vicious cycle of confrontation and sanctions. The commentaries said: “The endless escalation of confrontation ... increases the risk of all kinds of friction and clashes, and [could] even worsen into war,” and “The DPRK and the US, as the two ultimate key parties in the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, should make wise political decisions.” The official Global Times quoted Zhang Liangui, an international relations expert with China’s Central Party School as saying that “[The DPRK] is very determined and would not budge from any external factors. DPRK simply do not care whether outsiders support or oppose [their nuclear program]. Many outsiders have underestimated their resolve.” Lu Chao, a researcher with provincial academy of social sciences in Liaoning, said it doesn't matter whether the launch is successful, “What matters is that it was launched ... which served to demonstrate the Kim Jong-un administration’s hardline stance.” This is the third long-range rocket launch under Kim Jong-un, who has also overseen two of the North’s four nuclear tests.
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