BEIJING (Reuters) - China reproached the United States on Tuesday for testing an anti-missile system, saying the test was to blame for renewed threats by North Korea to resume its ballistic missile launches.
North Korea said on Saturday it may resume missile tests in response to a U.S. decision to try out a missile interceptor system, threatening to undo months of painstaking diplomacy by Washington.
"North Korea raised its point of view because the United States carried out the test in question,'' Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao told a news conference.
In September, the United States said it was easing its long-standing economic sanctions in exchange for North Korea's pledge to freeze long-range missile tests.
North Korea tested a three-stage missile in August 1998, part of which flew over Japan. The launch shocked Japan and Tokyo froze food aid, suspended flights to North Korea and broke off talks on restoring ties.
The U.S. Congress and President Bill Clinton are squaring off over whether Washington should develop and deploy a multi-billion dollar system that will shoot down missiles from rogue nations such as North Korea.
The test of the missile interceptor conducted last week was a unsuccessful.
"We have always held that the United States' development of this system, which violates the anti-missile defense treaty, does no good to the global and regional strategic peace and stability,'' Zhu said.
"We urge the U.S. side to handle this problem with great care,'' he said.
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