Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao refrained from censuring North Korea for its alleged role in the sinking of the Cheonan, a South Korean naval vessel, at a three-way summit between China, South Korea and Japan over the weekend, the BBC reported. The summit was supposed to discuss trade, but the sinking of the Cheonan seized focus. Wen said that avoiding conflict over the incident was key and avoided assigning blame. "The urgent task for the moment is to properly handle the serious impact caused by the Cheonan incident, gradually defuse tensions over it and avoid possible conflicts," he said. Wen will travel to Japan today to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, who has accepted Seoul’s conclusion that a North Korean torpedo sank the Cheonan and is tightening already rigorous trade restrictions on North Korea.
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