China refutes delivering missile launchers to North Korea

Beijing, June 13 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Beijing has rubbished media reports suggesting that a Chinese company allegedly supplied Pyongyang with four ballistic missile launchers last year in a breach of UN sanctions.

Japanese media reported Wednesday that South Korean, US and Japanese satellites detected the delivery of mobile missile launchers to North Korea by sea.

"Chinese companies do not supply North Korea with equipment banned by the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said.

The spokesman said China "maintains constant dialogue with all sides [in talks] on nuclear non-proliferation in North Korea and strictly complies with UN laws and regulations."

In April, Washington had accused Chinese company Hubei Sanjiang of selling components used in constructing missile launchers to North Korea.

The accusations came after Western defence experts spotted what appeared to be Chinese-made 16-wheel transporter-erector-launcher (TEL) at a military parade in North Korea to mark the centenary of the birth of its late founding leader Kim Il-sung.

Japan's Asahi Shimbun daily said Wednesday that the vehicles were transported on a Cambodia-registered ship which arrived in North Korea Aug 4, 2011.

Japanese coast guard officials later inspected the vehicle and found a document detailing the export of the vehicles.

--IANS/RIA Novosti

sd/dg