Newsweek magazine says China is standing in the way of South Korean efforts to punish North Korea, following the release of concrete evidence that shows a North Korean torpedo sank the South Korean “Cheonan” naval vessel in late March.

The U.S. magazine says that although China appears to favor its military and political ties with North Korea over its economic ties with South Korea, Beijing could end up succumbing to criticism from the international community and Chinese academia about its defense of Pyongyang.

According to the magazine, critics are also questioning the role China has played as the chair of the six-way nuclear talks to resolve the North Korean nuclear problem and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula.