China tells US to resolve North Korea tensions peacefully

Chinese President Xi Jinping has told US President Donald Trump to resolve ongoing tensions with North Korea peacefully.

According to China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang, Xi and Trump discussed the situation on the Korean Peninsula in a phone call initiated by the US president on Wednesday.

“China insists on realizing the denuclearization of the peninsula... and is willing to maintain communication and coordination with the American side over the issue on the peninsula,” Xi told Trump during the conversation.

The White House has not released details on the phone conversation.

Last week, the Chinese and American leaders met in the United States, where Trump reportedly called on China to increase pressure on Pyongyang.

In a tweet on Tuesday, Trump said that if China refused to help, “we will solve the problem without them!”

The US has dispatched a strike group, including an aircraft carrier, to the Korean Peninsula amid rising tensions with North Korea. The Carl Vinson strike group also comprises two destroyers and submarines.

North Korea’s rapidly developing missile and military nuclear programs have unnerved Washington. The presence of US forces in the region and repeated threats of military action by Washington have on the other hand angered the North.

Meanwhile, an article on the Chinese Global Times newspaper warned Pyongyang in an editorial to “hit the brakes for peace.” It called on the North to halt any plans for nuclear and missile activities “for its own security.”

SS