国政府周四对美国计划在韩国附近海域进行海上演习作出愤 怒回应，但分析师说，美国就军演的明显妥协可能将预防矛盾升级。
这次军演原来计划在6月进行，但后来延后了，该军演旨在增强美韩两国的海 上协同作战能力，此前韩国一艘军舰在3月遇袭沉没，美韩均指责这是中国的盟友朝鲜所为。
与此同时朝 鲜周四在朝韩边界召开了一个军官会议，重申其希望派遣自己的军事官员检查已打捞上来的军舰残骸，并前往韩国管辖的岛屿附近的沉船地点。5月底一个国际调查 员小组作出结论称朝鲜要为导致46名船员丧生的沉船事件负责，自那以来朝鲜不断作出类似的调查要求，但韩国均予以拒绝。
根据朝鲜官方媒体 的消息，在朝鲜与联合国军司令部军事停战委员会（United Nations Command Military Armistice Commission）举行的大校级会谈中，朝鲜表示，其对军舰残骸的检查应在双方军事官员会面前进行。联合国军司令部在周四会议后表示，双方均为将军级 会谈提出了议案，但会晚些时候决定是否举行上述会谈。
对朝鲜的指责导致中国这一平壤主要盟友与美国之间的关系再次出现裂缝，最为明显的 是，几周来中国一直反对韩国与美国的联合海上军演计划。
周三美国官员描述军演的暂定计划后，中国外交部发言人秦刚周四在例行记者会上表 示，我们坚决反对任何外国军用舰机在黄海以及其它中国近海从事影响中国安全利益的活动。
军演预计在介于中国东部海岸与朝鲜半岛中间的黄海 举行，不过华盛顿尚未公开证实。在周三举行的新闻简报会上，五角大楼新闻秘书莫雷尔（Geoff Morrell）说，部分军演将在黄海进行，部分在朝鲜半岛以东的日本海，或称东海进行。
莫 雷尔说，所有这些军演都是防御性质的，但将向朝鲜发出明确的威慑信息，并展示我们为保护韩国所作的坚定承诺。
他拒绝说出在哪里将进行何种 类型的军演，但几位分析师和中国媒体周四猜测，美国可能将乔治•华盛顿号核动力航空母舰（USS George Washington）派往日本海，这可能将缓解中国的忧虑，因为该航母如果出现在黄海，才是中国最大的反对理由之一。
美国国务卿希拉里 •克林顿（Hillary Clinton）与美国国防部长盖茨（Robert Gates）下周造访首尔的时候，可能将正式宣布军演计划。
莫 雷尔周三表示，美国不会让中国影响其在国际海域上的活动，这些决定是我们作出的，是我们单独作出的。
China's government responded indignantly Thursday to U.S. plans for naval exercises in waters around South Korea, but analysts said an apparent compromise by the U.S. on the drills will likely prevent escalation of the issue.
The exercises, originally scheduled for June but delayed, are designed to reinforce joint naval work between the U.S. and South Korea after the March sinking of a South Korean warship that both countries blame on North Korea, a Chinese ally.
Separately, North Korea used a meeting of military officials at the inter-Korean border Thursday to renew its wish to send its own military officers to inspect the recovered wreckage of the sunken ship and to go to the sinking site near a South Korea-controlled island. North Korea has made similar requests since late May, when an international team of investigators concluded it was responsible for the sinking, which killed 46 sailors. Seoul has denied the request.
In colonel-level talks between North Korea and the United Nations Command Military Armistice Commission, North Korea said its inspection of the wreckage should occur before generals from the two sides meet, according to the North's state media. The U.N. command said after the Thursday meeting that said both sides offered proposals for the generals' talks, but would decide later whether to hold them.
The accusations against North Korea created another rift between China, Pyongyang's main ally, and the U.S. Most visibly, China for several weeks has objected to the planned joint naval exercise by South Korea and the U.S.
After U.S. officials on Wednesday described tentative plans for the exercises, China foreign-ministry spokesman Qin Gang on Thursday said, 'We firmly oppose any foreign warships or airplanes to conduct activities undermining China's security in the Yellow Sea and China's coastal waters.'
The exercises were expected to take place in the Yellow Sea, between China's east coast and the Korean Peninsula, though Washington never publicly confirmed that. At a briefing on Wednesday, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said part of the operations will be conducted in the Yellow Sea, and part in the Sea of Japan, or East Sea, east of the Korean peninsula.
'All of these exercises are defensive in nature, but will send a clear message of deterrence to North Korea and demonstrate our steadfast commitment to the defense of South Korea,' Mr. Morrell said.
He declined to specify which types of operations would occur where. But several analysts and Chinese media outlets speculated Thursday that the U.S. might put the aircraft carrier USS George Washington in the Sea of Japan. That could ease China's concerns, because the presence of the carrier in the Yellow Sea was one of its biggest objections.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates are likely to officially announce plans for the exercises when they travel to Seoul next week.
Mr. Morrell on Wednesday said the U.S. wouldn't allow China to influence its activities in international waters. 'Those determinations are made by us, and us alone,' he said.