Rice says U.S., China working to present 'most united front' toward N.K. aggression

WASHINGTON, July 26 (Yonhap) -- U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice said Tuesday she discussed with Chinese officials how to close "remaining tactical differences" between the two countries over how to deal with North Korea in order to come up with the "most unified front." Rice's remark came in a posting with the online publishing website Medium as she wrapped up her visit to China that included meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and State Councilor Yang Jiechi. She emphasized how much effort the U.S. has been making in order to "manage our significant differences constructively." "On North Korea, we and China both committed to a denuclearized Korean Peninsula. I discussed in Beijing ways to narrow our remaining tactical differences in order to present the strongest and most unified front in the face of North Korea's aggression," Rice said. Rice's four-day visit came amid concern that China might be refusing to render full-scale cooperation for international efforts to increase pressure on Pyongyang in anger over a decision by Seoul and Washington to place the THAAD missile defense system in the South. China has strongly opposed THAAD's deployment in South Korea, saying the system, especially the powerful "X-band" radar, could be used against it, despite repeated assurances from the U.S. and the South that the battery is purely defensive and would be used only to cope with North Korean threats. Rice's visit also came after an international tribunal rejected China's territorial claims to most of the South China Sea in a victory for the Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations locked in maritime disputes with Beijing. "On the South China Sea, I was in contact with senior Chinese officials shortly after the U.N. tribunal ruled earlier this month, and my consultations in Beijing presented opportunities to discuss the issue in more depth," Rice said. "I reiterated that our overriding interest is the peaceful resolution of conflicts and sustaining the rules-based international order --whether it's in the Asia-Pacific or any other region," she said. jschang@yna.co.kr (END)