China on Monday urged all related parties to stay calm, exercise restraint and not to take any moves that may further escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Geng Shuang, made the remarks at a news conference in Beijing, saying the situation in the Korean Peninsula was complicated, sensitive and extremely tense.
Geng said the UN Security Council had clearly prohibited the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)’s nuclear and missile activities.
China and the DPRK were friendly neighbours and the two countries have maintained friendly exchanges, he said when asked whether China would send representatives to attend DPRK activities marking the 85th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People’s Army on Tuesday.
Envoys on the North Korean nuclear issue from the U.S., South Korea and Japan were due to meet in Tokyo on Tuesday.
The U.S. Government had not specified where the carrier strike group was but U.S. Vice President, Mike Pence, said on Saturday that it would arrive “within days”.
South Korean Defence Ministry Spokesman, Moon Sang-gyun, gave no details about plans to join the U.S. carrier group for exercises, but said Seoul was holding discussions with U.S. Navy.
“The South Korean and U.S. militaries were fully ready for North Korea’s nuclear test,” Moon said.
South Korean and U.S. officials feared for some time that North Korea’s sixth nuclear test could be imminent.
Satellite imagery analysed by 38 North, a Washington-based North Korea monitoring project, found some activities at North Korea’s Punggye-ri nuclear test site last week.
However, the group said it was unclear whether the site was in a “tactical pause” before another test or was carrying out normal operations, adding to the tension that North Korea detained a U.S. citizen on Saturday as he attempted to leave the country. (Xinhua/NAN)