Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao said Friday that Beijing would "not defend those responsible" for the sinking of a South Korean warship, the office of the South Korean president said, DPA report.
Wen, who is on a three-day visit to South Korea, added that China objected to and condemned all acts against peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, news reports said.
Tension between the two Koreas has been escalating since the March 26 sinking of the corvette Cheonan, which Seoul blames on a torpedo fired by North Korea.
Beijing, one of Pyongyang's few international allies, has remained reluctant to join international condemnation.
Wen said China was to decide "fairly" on its position regarding the Cheonan after reviewing an international probe into the incident, the Yonhap news agency quoted a spokesman of the presidential office as saying.