S. Korea, RP deplore China nuclear tests<\/p>\n
SEOUL (AFP): South Korea and the Philippines yesterday joined
\nthe international outcry against China's latest nuclear test, as
\nJapanese politicians said Tokyo's retaliatory economic sanctions
\non Beijing did not go far enough.<\/p>\n
Philippine President Fidel Ramos \"strongly deplored\"
\nThursday's test at Lop Nor saying it flew in the face of a
\nregional resolution against nuclear testing, as South Korea
\nissued a statement of \"deep regret.\"<\/p>\n
Ramos, on a visit to Australia, urged both China -- which
\nJapanese experts say is planning a third test before the year's
\nend, and France, which has scheduled tests in the Pacific this
\nmonth -- to abandon their plans.<\/p>\n
Both countries, he said \"have raised serious concerns about
\nthe sincerity of the nuclear weapons states.\"<\/p>\n
Seoul echoed the deep qualms voiced by China's neighbors,
\nsaying the Lop Nor test violated the trust between nuclear and
\nnon-nuclear states which had in May made the extension of the
\nNuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) possible.<\/p>\n
In Tokyo, which on Thursday curbed grant aid in reaction to
\nthe test, calls mounted among leading politicians for a tougher
\nresponse.<\/p>\n
\"There is nothing for it but to review Japan's assistance ...
\nas our protest against China is repeatedly ignored,\" said an
\nofficial of the Liberal Democratic Party, the largest force in
\nthe ruling coalition.<\/p>\n
\"China carried out nuclear tests twice despite our protests,
\nwe really have to impose conditions on our official loan
\nprogram,\" said Tashio Nishioka, of the opposition New Frontier
\nParty.<\/p>\n
Japanese Foreign Minister Yohei Kono assured the Chinese
\nambassador Thursday that Tokyo's low interest official loans,
\nwhich amount to 93 percent of Japan's total assistance to China,
\nand totalled some US$1.5 billion last year, would not be affected
\nby the protest.<\/p>\n
In Beijing yesterday, officials and the Chinese press were
\nsilent on the test, China's second this year and the 43rd since
\nits nuclear program started in 1964, announced by Foreign
\nMinistry spokesman Chen Jian without comment Thursday.<\/p>\n
But in the United States, the White House issued a statement
\nin Jackson Hole, Wyoming -- where President Bill Clinton is
\nvacationing -- deeply regretting the test, which comes at a
\nparticularly awkward time in Sino-U.S. relations and flouts
\nPresident Bill Clinton's efforts to curb nuclear testing.<\/p>\n
\"We urge China to refrain from further nuclear tests and to
\njoin in a global moratorium as we work to complete and sign a
\nComprehensive test Ban treaty (CTBT) in 1996,\" the White House
\nstatement said.<\/p>\n
\"It will be harder to get a test ban agreement if such tests
\ncontinue,\" said White House spokeswoman Ginny Terzano.<\/p>\n
The Clinton administration has made a global ban on nuclear
\ntesting in 1996 one of its main foreign policy goals, and Clinton
\non Aug. 11 announced over Pentagon objections that the United
\nStates would abandon testing under the CTBT.<\/p>\n
Apart from the five declared nuclear \"haves\" -- the United
\nStates, China, Russia, the United Kingdom and France -- Clinton
\nmust muster nuclear and borderline nuclear powers such as Israel,
\nIran and Iraq, India and Pakistan and North Korea.<\/p>\n
In May all five nuclear \"haves\" agreed at an NPT extension and
\nreview conference to exercise the \"utmost restraint\" in nuclear
\ntesting before the CTBT came into effect, the White House said.<\/p>\n
The U.S. reaction was complicated however by a low in
\nrelations exacerbated by Taiwanese President Lee teng-Hui's
\nprivate visit to the United States last month and the arrest of
\nChinese-American rights activist Harry Wu.<\/p>\n
The Chinese ambassador to Washington has been recalled
\nindefinitely and Beijing has cancelled several high-level
\nexchanges.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/s-korea-rp-deplore-china-nuclear-tests-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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