China urges prudence on N Korea launch

China says the United Nations should make a “prudent” response to North Korea’s recent launch of a long-range rocket.

According to AFP, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told reporters on Thursday that Beijing believes any UN response “should be prudent, appropriate and conducive to peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and avoid the escalation of the situation.”
On Wednesday, North Korea launched a long-range rocket from the Sohae Satellite Launching Station, also known as the Tongch’ang-dong Space Launch Center, located in Cholsan County of North Pyongan Province.
Russia and China on December 3 urged North Korea not to go ahead with the rocket launch.
On December 4, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he was “seriously concerned” about the launch and asked North Korea to “reconsider its decision and to suspend all activities related to its ballistic missile program.”
However, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said on Wednesday that the launch of the second version of the Unha-3 satellite from the Sohae Space Center was successful, adding that the satellite entered the orbit “as planned.”