China accuses US of sabre-rattling in Korean peninsula

By Gaurav Sharma

Beijing, March 8 (IANS) China on Tuesday described the joint military drill between the US and South Korea as an act of “sabre-rattling”, saying the situation was a bit explosive and could spell disaster.

A day after North Korea warned of a nuclear attack against the US which began its largest-ever military exercise with South Korea in the divided peninsula, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said it will not allow the stability in the region to be disrupted.

“At the moment there is some sabre-rattling on the Korean Peninsula and the situation is bit explosive. If the tensions worsen or even get out of control, there would be a disaster for all parties,” Wang said in an oblique reference to the joint drill which began on Monday.

“As the largest neighbour of the peninsula, China will not sit back and see a fundamental disruption to stability on the peninsula,” he added.

In the past too, North Korea has condemned the exercise between the two allies as a tactics of invasion, while the US and South Korea have insisted that they are purely for defence.

On implementing the UN resolution which calls for toughest sanction on Pyongyang to date over its nuclear programme, Wang said that China had the “obligation and ability to implement all the resolution passed by the Security Council”.

Wang, however, said actions which could aggravate the tensions should be avoided.

“China has the ability and obligation to implement all the resolution passed by the Security Council including the resolution 2270 concerning the DPRK. People should have consensus,” Wang said.

“It (resolution) also reiterates support to the Six-Party Talks and asks the parties to refrain from taking any actions that might aggravate tensions. So in China’s view, resolution 2270 must be implemented in its entirety,” he added.

Launched in 2003, the Six-Parties Talks, including China, Japan, South Korea, Russia and the US, aimed at convincing North Korea to terminate its nuclear programme. It collapsed in 2009 after North Korea’s satellite launch followed by the Security Councils’ sanctions against it.

The Six-Party Talks, launched in 2003, include China, Japan, South Korea, Russia and the United States in negotiations with North Korea around the termination of its nuclear programme.

"Sanctions are just necessary means. Maintaining stability is pressing priority. Only negotiation can provide fundamental solution," he added.

(Gaurav Sharma is the Beijing-based correspondent of IANS. He can be contacted at gaurav.s@ians.in)