Rare arguments show that China and North Korea still disagree on nuclear weapons

North Korea’s rare attack on China this week underscored how Beijing and Pyongyang are at odds over the latter’s illicit nuclear arsenal, despite warming ties in other areas, analysts and officials in South Korea say.

The North on Monday condemned China, Japan and South Korea for their discussions on denuclearization of the peninsula, calling their joint statement after a summit in Seoul a “serious political provocation” that violates the peninsula’s sovereignty.

Although Beijing helped water down the statement by advocating mention of the peninsula rather than specifically the North, that was enough to raise the hackles of its neighbors, one analyst said.