South Korea's marine commander on Saturday vowed "thousandfold" revenge for the North Korean attack. The North retorted that it was "very regrettable" if there were civilian deaths, but South Korea should be blamed for a human shield.
Many residents who evacuated the island earlier said they did not want to return.
Beijing has longstanding bonds with Pyongyang, and has sought to shield its small, poor neighbour from a backlash that China fears could draw an even more ferocious reaction from North Korea and dangerously destabilize the region.
Critics in Washington and other capitals say China's approach amounts to coddling a dangerous nuclear-armed state.
China has not taken sides in the conflict and declined to blame North Korea, unlike the United States, for the sinking of a South Korean naval vessel in March. "We ask that China make a contribution to peace on the Korean peninsula by taking a more fair and responsible position on South-North Korea ties," president Lee said he had told a visiting Chinese delegation.
The US-South Korean four-day naval drill kicked off in Korean waters.
Washington says the fourday exercise is intended as deterrent after the worst assault on South Korea since the end of the Korean War in 1953.
Many residents who evacuated the island earlier said they did not want to return.
Beijing has longstanding bonds with Pyongyang, and has sought to shield its small, poor neighbour from a backlash that China fears could draw an even more ferocious reaction from North Korea and dangerously destabilize the region.
Critics in Washington and other capitals say China's approach amounts to coddling a dangerous nuclear-armed state.
China has not taken sides in the conflict and declined to blame North Korea, unlike the United States, for the sinking of a South Korean naval vessel in March. "We ask that China make a contribution to peace on the Korean peninsula by taking a more fair and responsible position on South-North Korea ties," president Lee said he had told a visiting Chinese delegation.
The US-South Korean four-day naval drill kicked off in Korean waters.
Washington says the fourday exercise is intended as deterrent after the worst assault on South Korea since the end of the Korean War in 1953.
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