BEIJING, May 25 (UPI) -- North Korea has received a strong warning from China against proceeding with its nuclear weapons test, Japan's Kyodo news agency reported Wednesday.
In a message conveyed through a diplomatic channel, China warned any nuclear test would undermine its policy of seeking a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.
Any warning from China would exert enormous pressure on Pyongyang as China is a major supporter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il and provides his government with energy and food, the report said.
China has already told other parties involved in the six-nation talks -- South Korea, the United States, Japan and Russia -- that it considers a nuclear test a "red line" and that it is closely monitoring North Korea, Kyodo said.
The United States, along with Japan and South Korea, has repeatedly urged China to use its influence to press North Korea to return to the stalled six-party talks, and abandon its nuclear development program.
