In this photo from last month, a man walks on a Pyongyang street decorated with flags as North Korea prepared to mark the April 12 birthday of founder Kim Il Sung. (Reuters photo)BEIJING - North Korea's state media published a rare criticism of China on Wednesday, saying Chinese state media commentaries calling for tougher sanctions over Pyongyang's nuclear program were undermining relations with Beijing and worsening tensions. China is North Korea's neighbor and only major ally and the United States has pressed it to use its influence to rein in North Korea's nuclear and missile programs. Diplomats say Washington and Beijing are negotiating a possible stronger U.N. Security Council response - such as new sanctions - to North Korea's repeated ballistic missile launches. It said North Korea's nuclear program was needed for the "existence and development" of the country and "can never be changed nor shaken."

Source: Bangkok Post May 03, 2017 18:11 UTC