BEIJING - China on Nov. 24 expressed regret over the casualties of North Korea's deadly bombardment of a South Korean island and urged the two sides to start talks to avoid any further such incidents.
Foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Beijing was "concerned" about the situation on the Korean peninsula, echoing remarks he made a day earlier.
"China pays close attention to the incident. We regret the casualties and property losses, and are concerned about the situation," Hong said in a statement reported by the official Xinhua news agency.
"We strongly urge both sides to retain calm and restraint, and engage in talks as quickly as possible in order to prevent similar incidents from happening again."
China opposed any activity that harmed the peace and stability of the peninsula, Hong said, adding that Beijing was ready to make joint efforts with the two sides.
North Korea, a close ally of China, fired a deadly artillery barrage on the South Korean border island of Yeonpyeong on Nov. 23, killing two marines and two civilians in one of the worst incidents since the Korean war.
While world powers have criticized Pyongyang over the incident, Beijing's muted reaction has echoed its response when the North was blamed for torpedoing a South Korean warship in March, killing 46 sailors.
source:Defence News
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