U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta says North Korea’s nuclear proliferation activities are a serious threat not only to South Korea and the U.S. but also to China.

According to a transcript released by the Pentagon on Thursday, Panetta said during a speech at the Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses in New Delhi, India that South Korea and the U.S. face the threat of “nuclear proliferation from an unstable North Korea.” He stressed that situation is as much a threat to China as it is to others in this region.

Panetta then urged for China’s active response to such threats, saying that securing the region’s stability, prosperity and peace coincides with China’s interests.