The leaders of China, Japan and South Korea released a joint declaration Monday, a day after their annual Beijing summit omitted any reference to one of the most pressing topics of discussion: North Korea.
At the conclusion of their one-day meeting Sunday, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and South Korean President Lee Myung Bak said they agreed to make efforts to prevent North Korea from committing further provocative acts, after Pyongyang's failed launch one month ago of a rocket using ballistic missile technology that was carried out in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions. But the three later disagreed on how to word the part on North Korea in the joint declaration, diplomats said. China, which is close to North Korea, didn't want to state anything that might anger Pyongyang, the diplomats said.
On Monday, however, the three tiptoed around the possibility that the North might provoke the region by holding another nuclear test by issuing a variety of rhetorical responses via various officials.