【英语中国】温家宝访韩未正面谴责朝鲜

China yesterday resisted international pressure to blame North Korea for sinking a South Korean warship, and instead called for restraint on the Korean peninsula.

Speaking in South Korea, Wen Jiabao, the Chinese premier, said Beijing's main concern was stability following a March torpedo attack that sank the Cheonan warship, and claimed the lives of 46 South Korean sailors.

“The most urgent task now is to reduce the impact of the Cheonan incident to ease tensions and avoid a clash,” Mr Wen told a news conference following a summit with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts.

South Korea, the US and Japan want China to take a strong public stance over the incident, which represented the deadliest North Korean attack on the south for more than two decades.

However, China says it has not concluded who was responsible for the attack. During the summit, Mr Wen gave no indication of how China would respond when the issue was brought to the United Nations security council.

South Korea and the US have provided China with technical details on the sinking and have offered more information. Seoul also says it is open to a visit from any Chinese technical team that may wish to inspect the shattered hull and corroded torpedo, which it says was fired from a North Korean submarine.

South Korean officials admitted before the summit they had little hope Beijing would publicly condemn its communist ally. Instead, they expected to begin talks aimed at persuading China not to veto a strong condemnation of North Korea at the security council.

While Seoul is leaving open the option of fresh sanctions, officials admit that North Korea is already so heavily sanctioned over its missile and nuclear weapon programmes that any other measures would have little practical effect.

On Friday, a South Korean government spokesman quoted Mr Wen as saying that Beijing would not protect “whoever sank the ship”. However, Mr Wen did not strike such an encouraging tone for the South Koreans when he spoke to them directly.

Yukio Hatoyama, Japan's prime minister, has supported South Korea's assertive response to the sinking, calling the attack “provocative” and “unforgivable”.

Mr Hatoyama has authorised a plan to restrict cash remittances to North Korea from ethnic Koreans in Japan, long an important source of foreign currency for Pyongyang. Japan will require travellers to North Korea to declare cash holdings exceeding Y100,000 ($1,110, €890, £760), down from the current Y300,000.

Electronic remittances exceeding Y3m will also have to be declared, down from Y10m. Japan's parliament is also working on a bill that would allow Japanese coastguards to inspect North Korean cargo ships in international waters.

South Korean officials have played down the possibility of a conflict with North Korea, despite heated rhetoric from Pyongyang, in an effort to reassure investors.

Wi Sung-lac, South Korea's most senior diplomat on North Korean affairs, told investors before the talks that the road to condemnation at the UN could be long. He also warned against expecting any “tangible” results at the summit, being held on the resort island of Jeju.

中国昨日顶住国际压力，拒绝谴责朝鲜击沉一艘韩国军舰，而是呼吁朝鲜半岛南北双方保持克制。

中国总理温家宝在韩国发表讲话时表示，北京方面主要关心的是朝鲜半岛的稳定。3月份，一枚鱼雷击沉了韩国“天安”舰，导致46名水兵丧生。

温家宝在中、日、韩峰会结束后的记者会上表示：“当务之急就是要妥善应对‘天安号'事件造成的严重影响，逐步减缓紧张局势，尤其要避免发生冲突。”

韩国、美国和日本希望中国对这一事件表明强有力的公开立场，这起事件是朝鲜20多年来最血腥的对韩国攻击。

不过，中国表示，对于谁应该对这起攻击负责，它尚未得出结论。峰会期间，温家宝并未说明当这起事件提交联合国安理会后，中国将做出什么反应。

韩国和美国已向中国提供了此次沉船事件的技术细节，并提出可提供更多信息。首尔方面还表示，愿意接待中国派遣的技术小组，让中方人员检查破碎的船体和腐蚀的鱼雷；韩方表示，这枚鱼雷是一艘朝鲜潜艇发射的。

韩国官员在峰会前承认，他们对于北京方面会公开谴责其共产党盟友不抱什么希望。但他们期盼启动磋商，以说服中国不致在安理会否决一项措辞强烈的对朝鲜的谴责。

尽管首尔方面保留实施新制裁的选择，但官员们承认，朝鲜已经因为其导弹及核武计划而受到严厉制裁，其它任何措施将不会产生多少实际效果。

上周五，韩国政府的一名发言人援引温家宝的话称，北京方面不会袒护沉船事件的肇事者。不过，当温家宝对韩方人士直接发言时，他的语气并没有那么鼓舞人心。

日本首相鸠山由纪夫(Yukio Hatoyama)支持韩国对沉船事件的强硬反应，称这一攻击行为是“挑衅性的”和“不可饶恕的”。

鸠山由纪夫已批准执行一项限制在日本居住的朝鲜族人士向朝鲜汇款的计划。长期以来，这一人群是平壤方面的一个重要外汇来源。日本将要求前往朝鲜的旅客申报逾10万日元（合1110美元）的现金，低于现在的30万日元。

超过300万日元的电汇也将需要申报，低于现行的1000万日元。日本国会也正在研究一项法案，该法案将允许日本海上保安厅在公海检查朝鲜货轮。

尽管平壤方面发表了措辞激烈的言论，但韩国官员淡化了韩朝发生冲突的可能性，以求安抚投资者。

韩国的朝鲜事务最高外交官员魏圣洛(Wi Sung-lac)在峰会前告诉投资者，争取联合国谴责朝鲜的道路可能相当长。他还警告称，不要期望在度假胜地济州岛举行的峰会能够取得任何“切实”成果。

译者/何黎