Peking sent a note Washington assessing the points of conflict over North Korea.
| The US Position | China’s position |
| North Korea is developing an offensive nuclear programme to reconquer South Korea. | North Korea is developing a defensive nuclear program to protect itself from an operation orchestrated by Washington, to bring about a regime- change. |
| North Korea has violated the 1994 Protocol which placed a ban on manufacturing atomic bombs by launching a space satellite that works using enriched uranium, which is a missile test in disguise. | North Korea did not violate the 1994 Protocol as this only refers to the use of plutonium and makes no mention of uranium. |
Washington has been invited to clarify its positions so that Peking may in turn bring its positions closer in line to Washington’s.
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