BEIJING: China said on Tuesday that North Korean border guards shot dead three Chinese citizens last week and that Beijing had protested to Pyongyang in a rare sour note between the close allies. The incident on Friday also left one person injured, foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said at a regular media briefing.“On the morning of June 4, some residents of Dandong city of Liaoning province were shot by DPRK (North Korean) border guards on suspicion of crossing the border for trade activities, leaving three dead and one injured,” the spokesman said. “After the incident, China attached great importance to it and immediately raised solemn representations to the DPRK.” He said the case was being investigated and gave no further details, while China’s state-controlled media has carried virtually nothing on the incident. Dandong is a Chinese border city through which much of the two nations’ trade is funneled. The incident comes amid heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula and closer scrutiny of China’s relations with Pyongyang after South Korea blamed the North for sinking one of its warships in March, killing 46 sailors. With US support, South Korea has called for UN action against North Korea over the sinking of the Cheonan and is seeking Chinese backing as well.Seoul’s Vice Foreign Minister Chun Yung-Woo arrived in China on Tuesday to seek Beijing’s support for a UN censure of North Korea. Pyongyang has rejected the charges and threatened war if any retaliation is taken. Beijing typically treads lightly in public comments about its unpredictable neighbour and instances of public discord between the two are rare. China provides vital economic and diplomatic support to the impoverished North, motivated experts say by Beijing’s fear the hardline communist regime could collapse, possibly sending millions of refugees across the border. Chinese leaders honoured North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il with the red-carpet treatment during a visit by Kim last month, but Beijing’s support has been tested by the Cheonan incident. An international group of investigators concluded last month that the ship was sunk by a North Korean torpedo, a finding that triggered international condemnation of Pyongyang. Beijing, however, has issued only mild calls for restraint.

SINGAPORE: The United States demanded North Korea pay a price for allegedly sinking a South Korean warship even as Washington and its Asian allies brace for possible “provocations” by the Pyongyang regime. In a show of solidarity, US, Japanese and South Korean defence chiefs met in Singapore to discuss punitive steps against North Korea as the UN Security Council prepares to take up the crisis triggered by the sinking of the Cheonan. US Defense Secretary Robert Gates told his counterparts that “it’s important we have a unified front to deter further provocations,” his press secretary, Geoff Morrell, told reporters. While condemning North Korea’s alleged torpedo attack, which left 46 South Korean sailors dead, Washington and Seoul have called for calm and avoided talk of a military response. But given the North’s volatile reputation, the United States and its allies have to be prepared for possible violence, Morrell said. “When you’re dealing with a regime as unpredictable as (North Korea), that’s always a concern,” he said. Tensions have soared on the peninsula since a multinational probe last month concluded a North Korean torpedo sank the Cheonan, triggering trade reprisals by South Korea and threats of war by the communist North. In a speech to the security conference in Singapore, Gates said the US administration was looking at “additional options” against the North, apart from UN diplomacy and planned military exercises with South Korea.