28-05-10 China May Shield North Korea

South Korea’s government is prepared to omit sanctions from any United Nations action against North Korea over the sinking of a warship,a concession that may ease tension and help head off Chinese opposition.South Korea expects China to maintain a “strategic ambiguity” over whether its ally sank the 1,200-ton Cheonan,though it is unlikely to openly block attempts to bring the case to the UN Security Council,a South Korean official said today,speaking on condition of anonymity.The council passed a statement condemning North Korea’s launching of a ballistic missile over Japan in April 2009,imposing sanctions a month later after the country’s second nuclear test.China hasn’t followed South Korea,Japan and the U.S. in blaming North Korea for the March 26 sinking,which killed 46 sailors.The North has threatened “all-out war” if it faces any punitive action over the sinking,including the imposition of new UN sanctions.