China says no one should bring chaos to Korean peninsula
China said on Wednesday no one had the right to bring chaos
to the Korean peninsula, a day after it pushed for full implementation of U.N.
sanctions against neighboring North Korea for its missile and nuclear tests and
called for dialogue.
The United States has been trying to persuade China, North
Korea's lone major ally, to do more to rein in Pyongyang, which has conducted
dozens of missile launches and tested two nuclear bombs since the start of last
year, in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions.
The North has proudly publicized its plans to develop a
missile capable of striking the United States and has ignored calls to halt its
weapons programs, even from China.
It says the program is necessary to counter U.S. aggression.
Its last missile test was on Sunday.
"No matter which party it is, no one has the right to
bring war and chaos upon the peninsula," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi
told reporters after meeting German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel.
He said anyone who did that would bear "historical
responsibility".
U.S. President Donald Trump has said "a major, major
conflict" with North Korea is possible and that all options are on the
table, but that he wants to resolve the crisis diplomatically.
China has been infuriated by the U.S. deployment of its
Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in South Korea, saying it is
a threat to its own security and will do nothing to ease tensions with North
Korea.
The United States and South Korea, which hosts 28,500 U.S.
troops, have said the deployment is aimed purely at defending against the North
Korean threat.
China fully implements its U.N. Security Council sanction
commitments toward North Korea and will continue to play a constructive role in
negotiations, Wang said.
Almost a month ago, Washington began discussions with China
on strengthening U.N. sanctions. However, a week ago U.S. U.N. Ambassador Nikki
Haley said Beijing had gone quiet.
Traditionally, the United States and China have negotiated
new sanctions before involving the other 13 U.N. Security Council members.
The Security Council first imposed sanctions on Pyongyang in
2006 and ratcheted up the measures in response to five nuclear tests and two
long-range missile launches. North Korea is threatening a sixth nuclear test.
(Writing by Christian Shepherd; Editing by Nick Macfie)
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