A senior U.S. diplomat stepped up pressure on China on Wednesday to play a leading role in punishing North Korea for its recent nuclear test that raised worries about advancements in its bomb program.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in South Korea on a diplomatic push for tougher sanctions and punishment that can force change in the North. Key to those efforts is whether China, the North's last major ally and a veto-wielding U.N. Security Council member, will join in imposing any harsh punishment on the North.
"We believe that China has a special role to play given the special relationship that it has with North Korea," Blinken told reporters after meeting with South Korean officials.
