Xi restated China’s commitment to a denuclearization of the peninsula as well as a “full, thorough” implementation of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, he added.
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A defense ministry official told Xinhua that the missiles were launched into the East Sea at about 12:14 p.m. local time from its western areas near Hwangju county in North Hwanghae province.
Under orders from its leader Kim Jong-un, North Korea has seen considerable advances in its ballistic missile programs.
Park said that a THAAD deployment would not threaten any other country’s security interests and would not be needed if the North’s nuclear issue was resolved, Yonhap news agency said.
Two years ago, the North fired two Rodong medium-range missiles just as Park and Abe were sitting down with Obama at the Hague to discuss a response to the North’s arms programme.
But Xi reiterated his strong objections to Park’s decision to accept the THAAD battery onto South Korean soil.
It is not known yet what type of missile was launched, the spokesman said, adding that South Korea’s military was analysing the test.
South Korean president Park Geun-Hye told Chinese President Xi Jinping that Pyongyang’s fourth nuclear test and missile launches posed a threat to Seoul’s ties with Beijing.
In June, after a string of failures, North Korea sent an intermediate Musudan missile more than 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) high in a test launch that outside analysts said showed progress in efforts to acquire the ability to strike US forces in the region.
This comes just under two weeks after Pyongyang test-fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile.
North Korea has been banned from conducting missile tests, but that hasn’t stopped them from launching several lately.
Numerous earlier missiles failed to launch or exploded in mid-air, but recent efforts have flown greater distances, leading experts to warn that Pyonyang is learning from its mistakes and making technical progress toward its stated goal of developing a nuclear weapon that could reach the US mainland.
North Korea often threatens Japan, alongside the USA and South Korea, with attack, citing the need to pre-emptively counter an invasion by the US and its allies.
While the impoverished North’s motives for keeping tensions on the front burner all year aren’t clear, there is speculation that leader Kim Jong Un is still trying to consolidate power almost five years after taking over following his father’s death.
North Korea has forced its way higher on the worldwide diplomatic agenda this year with dozens of missile tests and a nuclear bomb detonation in January.
“Mishandling the issue is not conducive to strategic stability in the region, and could intensify conflicts”, Xi said in Hangzhou.
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A proven submarine-launched ballistic missile system would allow deployment far beyond the Korean peninsula and a “second-strike” capability in the event of an attack on the North’s military bases.
