China on Friday urged both United States and North Korea to refrain from mounting pressure on each other so as to not soon reach an “irreversible and unmanageable stage”. The country’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said, “We call on all parties to refrain from provoking and threatening each other, whether in words or actions.”
Wang further hinted that a conflict could break out at any moment, adding that there will be no winner if such a situation arises. “If a war occurs, the result is a situation in which everybody loses and there can be no winner,” he told reporters at Beijing.
Wang’s comments come after the United States Navy deployed a carrier group in the region and expressed concerns over North Korea’s nuclear power. “One has the feeling that a conflict could break out at any moment. I think that all relevant parties should be highly vigilant with regards to this situation,” said Wang, according to BBC.
However, North Korea on Saturday warned that it is “prepared” to respond to any nuclear attack in kind, AFP reported.
If North Korea does go ahead with its nuclear test, it will be defying United States’ President Donald Trump’s threat of military action against the country. Trump earlier suggested that he would not hesitate to force North Korea to abandon its nuclear and ballistic missiles programme. Trump had previously referred to North Korea as a “menace” and had also saidthat he can solve the “problem” without China’s help.
Tension started brewing since April 7 when Trump ordered a missile attack in Syria as retaliatory measure to a deadly chemical attack. On April 11, the North Korean state media warned of a nuclear attack on the United States at any sign of American aggression. On Thursday, the US dropped its largest non-nuclear bomb on Afghanistan.
Amid this, China – North Korea’s only major ally – has called for talks on denuclearisation, reported Reuters. This comes as US Vice President Mike Pence is all set for a 10-day visit to South Korea starting April 16. US ally South Korea has also warned against any “provocation” like a nuclear test by North Korea.
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