China on Friday warned the U.S. and North Korea to cool their aggressive posturing as tensions rise on the Korean Peninsula.
According to a report by The Washington Post, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that “storm clouds” were gathering.
“The United States and South Korea and North Korea are engaging in tit for tat, with swords drawn and bows bent,” Wang said after a meeting with the visiting French foreign minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, according to the report.
“We urge all parties to refrain from inflammatory or threatening statements or deeds to prevent irreversible damage to the situation on the Korean Peninsula.”
The remarks come as some experts fear North Korea is planning to conduct yet another nuclear test over the weekend in honor of the 105th birth anniversary of the country’s founder, Kim Il-sung.
{mosads}In response, the U.S. is deploying a naval strike force that includes an aircraft carrier and strategic submarines to the region.
A report Thursday from NBC also claimed the White House is prepared to execute a pre-emptive military strike against North Korea if officials believe Pyongyang will carry out its nuclear weapons test. But some reporters late Thursday said administration sources were denying the report.
Wang said if the region is engulfed in conflict, the countries involved will have to “pay the corresponding price.”
“[M]ultiple parties will lose, and no one will win” in the case of war, Wang argued.
“It is not the one who espouses hasher rhetoric or raises a bigger fist that will win,” he added.
According to the report, the Chinese official also noted that Beijing is willing to facilitate “dialogue” between nations “through one channel or dual channels, bilateral or multilateral.”