China warns against expanding N.Korea sanctions

BEIJING, Oct 19 (Reuters) China warned today against ''wilfully'' expanding UN sanctions put in place against North Korea after it said it had tested a nuclear device.

''We believe resolution 1718 is a balanced one. All sides need to consider how to implement resolution 1718 in a balanced way and to not to devise ways to wilfully expand the sanctions,'' Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told a regular news conference.

''Sanctions are a signal, not the goal,'' he said.

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