The Chinese government has urged restraint amid rising tensions over North Korea's announcement that it intends to launch a rocket to put a satellite into orbit.

In defiance of repeated warnings from the United States and its allies, Kim Jong Un's government has informed the United Nations (UN) agency responsible for navigation safety that it plans to launch a long-range rocket later this month. 

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The UN agency, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), said Tuesday that it received official notice of the launch from North Korean authorities, who said the rocket is intended to put a satellite into orbit. 

The IMO reports that Pyongyang's notification is for a multi-stage rocket launch between 7am and noontime local time, at a yet undetermined date between February 8 and 25. 

Serious Concern

"We are seriously concerned about that," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said on Wednesday when asked by the press to comment on North Korea's plans. 

He said North Korea has the right to make peaceful use of space, but this right is subject to UN resolutions.  "We hope all sides show restraint and take prudent action to avoid any moves that may increase the tensions on the [Korean] Peninsula," Lu added.

The US and its allies have long maintained that North Korea's satellite launches are veiled tests of its long-range ballistic missile technologies, and Pyongyang has been warned that a rocket launch so soon after its detonation of a nuclear weapon would be seen as further provocation.

South Korean intelligence officials have told the New York Times that the North's previous rocket launch -- which put a weather-forecasting satellite into space -- was actually a test for a missile that could deliver a 1,300-pound warhead as far as the west coast of the United States.

Some analysts now claim that the renovations on North Korea's Sohae Satellite Launching Station indicate preparations for a rocket more powerful than any that the country has tested so far.   

The UN has passed a series of resolutions banning North Korea from developing nuclear weapons and ballistic missile technologies.  Although Pyongyang has described its satellite program as peaceful, it relies on long-rang missile technology that is prohibited under previous UNSC resolutions against the country.

China's Special Envoy

IMO spokesperson Natasha Brown has said North Korea's notification describes the rocket's payload as an observation satellite called Kwangmyongsong, or Lodestar.  

If the launch goes as planned, the rocket's first stage will fall off the west coast of South Korea.  The second stage will fall into the waters west of the Philippines.

Tokyo and Seoul have expressed outrage over Pyongyang's plans.  South Korea's presidential official Cho Tae-young warned on Tuesday of "searing consequences" for the North should it push through with the launch.

In Tokyo, defense minister Gen Nakatani has ordered missile defense units -- including a fleet of Aegis destroyers -- to the Sea of Japan.  The country's defense forces have likewise arrayed Patriot missile batteries onshore to shoot down any North Korean rocket that threatens Japan.

China has meanwhile sent a special nuclear envoy to Pyongyang.   China's Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Affairs Wu Dawei arrived quietly in Pyongyang on Tuesday to discuss the nuclear issue with officials of Kim Jong Un's government.  

Wu arrives while North Korea is said to be preparing celebrations for Kim Jong-il's birthday on February 16, which will be followed by a large gathering of the ruling Worker's Party in May. 

Some analysts speculate that Kim wants to demonstrate advances in his nuclear and ballistic missile programs ahead of the two events.  

TagsChina-North Korea relations, North Korea nuclear technology, United Nations (UN)