The Chinese authorities have advocated Thursday to resolve through «negotiation and dialogue» the crisis on the Korean peninsula after Pyongyang has carried out dozens of ballistic tests in recent months, an issue that has set off all the alarms in the countries of the region.
As South Korea and the United States extend their joint military exercises in the area, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Zhao Lijian, pointed out that «safeguarding peace and stability on the peninsula is part of the common interest» and stressed that dialogue and talks between the parties are essential for this purpose.
«We hope that the parties will address the main causes of the problem on the Korean peninsula, confront each other and create conditions for the resumption of meaningful dialogue,» Zhao said.
Regarding the possibility of strengthening the sanctions imposed against North Korea, he limited himself to pointing out that Beijing «has always played a constructive role in this matter, recommending reconciliation and facilitating dialogue». However, he pointed out that «the context and roots of the current situation are clear».
INTERCONTINENTAL MISSILE North Korea has carried out the launching of three missiles in the last hours, of which one is an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) ‘Hwasong 17’, which although it would have been deployed correctly would have fallen shortly after in waters of the Sea of Japan, also known as East Sea, due to a flight problem.
The missile, launched from the Sunan area at around 7:40 a.m. (local time), did not reach its intended speed, according to South Korean defense sources reported by the Yonhap news agency.
Subsequently, at about 8.30 (local time), the North Korean authorities gave the green light to the launching of two more short-range missiles from Gaecheon, a test that comes a day after Pyongyang proceeded to launch more than twenty missiles towards the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea.
