China on tension between US and North Korea

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has urged the US to halt military drills in South Korea and called on North Korea to stop its nuclear and missile tests. During a news conference on Wednesday, on the sidelines of the National People’s Congress in Beijing, Wang Yi talked about the escalating tensions between North Korea on one side and the US and South Korea on the other. Commenting on North Korea’s missile activity and the joint US-South Korea reaction, Wang Yi said: “The two sides are like two accelerating trains coming towards each other, with neither side willing to give way.” The US has started deploying an advanced anti-missile system to South Korea called the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) after North Korea launched four missiles off the coast of Japan on Monday. According to a Reuters report, North Korea launched its ballistic missiles in response to joint US-South Korea military exercises, which it regards as an act of war. “The question is, are the two sides really ready for a head-on collision? Our priority now is to flash a red light and apply brakes on both trains,” Wang said at the conference. "China's suggestion is, as a first step, for North Korea to suspend nuclear and missile activities, and for the U.S. and South Korea to also suspend large-scale military drills," he added. China is also wary of the US deployment because the THAAD’s far reaching radar can be used to track China’s own missile systems. However, the US argues that the THAAD will only be used against North Korean missiles. Meanwhile, Japanese lawmakers are proposing to acquire missile capabilities in self-defense, according to another Reuters report. Until now Japan has relied on the US to defend it from foreign threats and has opted not to possess bombers or weapons such as missiles that can strike other countries. President Trump has accused China of not doing enough to stop North Korea from running its nuclear and missile tests, which China rejected, saying that the problem is ultimately between the US and North Korea. As an important supporter of North Korea, China has however strongly disapproved of the repeated missile and nuclear tests and has signed up for increased UN sanctions against Pyongyang.