South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, centre, with Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, left, and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao at their meeting Saturday on the South Korean island of Jeju. ((Lee Jae-Won/Associated Press)) China showed no sign Saturday of publicly joining South Korea and Japan in rebuking North Korea over the sinking of a South Korean warship —- the issue dominating a three-nation weekend summit meeting.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said he hoped the meeting with leaders of South Korea and Japan would help achieve peace.

Officials said Saturday's discussions focused on trade issues, and the ship sinking was on Sunday's agenda for the meeting at the South Korean resort island of Jeju.

As the main ally of North Korea, China has long been reluctant to back harsh measures against the reclusive state that shares its border.

But senior U.S. officials predicted after recent talks in Beijing that China will gradually endorse the view that North Korea should be held accountable. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the discussions.

North assails 'hideous charade'

An international investigation concluded that a North Korean torpedo sank the South Korean corvette Cheonan in March, killing 46 sailors in the South's worst military loss since the Korean War.

North Korea has repeatedly denied responsibility, and the state-run Korean Central News Agency said Saturday the investigation was "a hideous charade" by Seoul and its "imperialist" allies America, Australia and Britain.

South Korea has laid out a series of punitive measures and pledged to haul Pyongyang before the United Nations Security Council. The South's steps, announced Monday, include slashing trade, resuming propaganda broadcasts across the border and launching large naval exercises off the western coast of the Korean Peninsula.

The North has said the South's moves are pushing the two countries closer to war.

"These anti-North Korean confrontations are an open declaration of war against us and an extraordinarily criminal act that pushes inter-Korean relations into a state of war," North Korean Maj. Gen. Pak Rim Su said Friday, according to broadcaster APTN. He spoke at a rare news conference of the National Defence Commission, which is headed by leader Kim Jong-il.

China wields veto power as a permanent Security Council member, so its support would be key to UN sanction against North Korea.

Chinese leader offers condolences

Before the two-day summit began Saturday, Wen offered condolences to the families of the dead sailors at a meeting with South Korean Prime Minister Chung Un-chan, the prime minister's office said.

"China is a responsible nation which insists on justice and is seriously considering the findings of the multinational investigation," Wen said, according to Chung spokesman Kim Chang-young.

"China has maintained consistent views on the stability of peace on the Korean Peninsula and opposes acts that destroy it," he quoted Wen as saying.

Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's government on Friday instituted new sanctions against North Korea.