Clinton says US, China share responsibility for peace and security on Korean peninsula

Clinton: US, China share responsibility for Koreas

BEIJING — U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is stepping up pressure on China to back international action against North Korea for the sinking of a South Korean warship, saying peace and security on the Korean peninsula is a shared responsibility between Washington and Beijing.

Speaking at the end of two days of high-level talks here on Tuesday, Clinton said the Obama administration expects to work closely with China to “fashion an effective response” to the sinking, which has been blamed on North Korea. North Korea has denied the charge and China, the communist country’s main ally, has remained neutral.

The U.S. wants China to support U.N. Security Council action against North Korea. But China’s State Counselor Dai Bingguo says only that China wants the parties to act calmly and properly so as not to raise tensions.