China said Tuesday it opposes Japan's latest financial sanctions on North Korea, saying the weapons program standoff should be solved through dialogue.
"China has consistently advocated that the issue should be solved through dialogue and that it is against sanctions," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said at a regular news briefing.
"At the moment, the (Korean) Peninsula situation is complicated and sensitive, and relevant parties should concentrate on alleviating the situation and promoting the early resumption of the six-party talks," he said.
Japan is now prohibiting remittances to 15 entities and one individual that have connections to Pyongyang's weapons program, under a U.N. Security Council resolution condemning the July 5 missile launches.
The six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear programs are stalled due to Pyongyang's refusal to return to the negotiating table until certain conditions are met.
Pyongyang says the United States must first lift sanctions it imposed on Banco Delta Asia, a Macau entity suspected of laundering money and counterfeiting for North Korea.
Washington has refused, saying the sanctions are a law enforcement issue that should not be linked to the nuclear negotiations.
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