China has been dragging its feet in responding to US requests for it to rein in weapons parts shipments from North Korea to Iran through its territory, according to some of the diplomatic cables made public on the WikiLeaks website.

The details revealed in the correspondence show how widely the expectations and attitudes with which Washington and Beijing address non-proliferation issues differ. This could heighten the pressure on Beijing as the US, South Korea and other countries have called on the Chinese government to use its influence to pull North Korea back from its belligerent stance.

One cable dated November 3, 2007, and signed by Condoleezza Rice, then secretary of state, complains that repeated requests by Washington over the preceding months that Beijing stop transports of ballistic missile components from Pyongyang to Teheran through Beijing Airport had fallen on deaf ears.