China urges Koreas to open talks

CHINA: Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi urged both North and South Korea to open talks and avoid steps that could inflame tensions on the peninsula, extending Beijing’s effort to contain confrontation on its doorstep.

Yang made the comments in a phone call with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on its website (www.mfa.gov.cn) Sunday, when the United Nations Security Council is due to discuss the volatile standoff between North and South Korea.

Beijing has sought to avoid becoming embroiled in the bitter rift between its two neighbours, and Yang neither directly criticized Seoul’s plan to hold a live-fire military drill nor Pyongyang’s threat to retaliate if the drill goes ahead. But the Chinese Foreign Minister warned that tensions on the Korean peninsula risked running out of control and shaking the entire region.

“The situation on the peninsula remains tense and there’s a risk of further deterioration and escalation,” Yang told Lavrov late on Saturday, according to the Foreign Ministry’s account.

“China resolutely opposes any actions that could inflame tensions and exacerbate the situation, and asks that both sides of the peninsula exercise calm and restraint and open up dialogue and contacts,” said Yang.

BEIJING, Sunday, Reuters