China's reaction key as neighbors decry North Korea rocket launch

North Korea's neighbors have condemned the secretive nation's launch of a long-range rocket, with Seoul calling the launch a "challenge and threat" to stability on the Korean peninsula and the world at large.

The three-stage missile passed close to the territory of Japan and South Korea but both have refrained from any retaliation.

Beijing, North Korea's main ally in the region, took a softer line in a commentary published by state news agency Xinhua but called on North Korea to abide by United Nations Security Council resolutions.

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