At a press conference held on March 8 for the Fifth Plenary Session of the 12th National People’s Congress, Wan Yi, China’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, answered news reporters’ questions.
A Reuters reporter asked him if China thinks a war will break out on the Korean Peninsula and asked how it could be prevented.
Wan answered, “On the one hand, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), insists on its nuclear missile development. While ignoring international objections and violating the United Nations’ resolution, it recently fired four Ballistic missiles. On the other hand, the U.S. and South Korea held super-large scale military exercises and continually increase their military pressure over the DPRK. This is like two trains that keep accelerating, with no intention of avoiding each other. Are the two sides really ready for a head-on collision? The top priority at this moment is to flash the red lights and apply the brakes.”
Wan said China’s suggestion is that North Korea stops nuclear missile activity and the U.S. and South Korea stop large-scale military exercises, and then both sides come back to the negotiating table.
Source: Xinhua, March 8, 2017
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2017lh/2017-03/08/c_129504192.htm