China, a key diplomatic ally of North Korea, has so far been silent after Pyongyang launched a long-range rocket, which failed shortly after blastoff. The official Xinhua news agency, China’s mouthpiece, quoted media reports from other countries regarding the launch. But China’s foreign ministry had yet to make a statement more than two hours after the launch was confirmed. China on Tuesday called on all parties to “exercise restraint” and avoid an escalation of tensions on the Korean peninsula ahead of the planned launch. The launch has been condemned by the US, UK, Germany, Japan, South Korea and other western countries. The UN Security Council has called an emergency session for today. China seems at odds with itself about how to deal with the North Korea, which is offically known as the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea. It wants peace and stability to help sustain its economy, but it has historic ties with the north. And above all, it seems,.China fears a collapse of the DPRK and the inevitable flood of refugees it would send into China.