China has urged all countries involved in the nuclear standoff on the Korean Peninsula to show restraint and end a “malicious cycle” of escalating tensions.
Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said increased military pressure from the United States and South Korea has prompted North Korea to respond with more missile tests, which in turn triggered more military pressure on the North.
She said “time has proven that pressure and sanctions cannot solve the root of the problem.”
Hua told a regular daily briefing yesterday that the only way to solve the standoff is by addressing the legitimate security concerns of all sides in a balanced way through dialogue.
China has proposed that the U.S. and South Korea halt regular joint military exercises, and in return North Korea would freeze its development of nuclear weapons while the two sides hold talks.
