China’s Foreign Minister suggested the situation with North Korea is “under great tension and at a critical point” after President Donald Trump warned of the possibility of a “major, major conflict” erupting over the rogue Communist nation’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the comment ahead of a United Nations Security Council ministerial meeting Friday, chaired by United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, to discuss the deteriorating situation with North Korea.
“What is crucial today is to resume the talks,” Yi noted, with the ultimate goal being the revival of long-dormant six-party talks to end North Korea’s continued development of nuclear weapons and an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of striking the United States.
“Due to the recent efforts by the DPRK (North Korea) to accelerate missile and nuclear development, China agrees to the international community to step up efforts of non-proliferation,” he added.
He also reiterated a previous Chinese proposal calling for an end to North Korea’s nuclear weapons program in exchange for an end to joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States.
Secretary of State Tillerson, who chaired the ministerial meeting, called on other nations to implement further financial sanctions on individuals and institutions that support North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, and suspend or downgrade diplomatic relations with North Korea.
“Failing to act now on the most pressing security issue in the world may bring catastrophic consequences,” he said.
The meeting follows President Donald Trump’s warning that a “major, major conflict” with North Korea is possible given the Communist nation’s continued threats to attack the United States.
“There is a chance that we could end up having a major, major conflict with North Korea. Absolutely,” Trump told Reuters in an interview.
The USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier strike group, joined by a pair of Japanese destroyers, is set to arrive off the coast of the Korean peninsula Saturday, joining the ballistic-missile submarine USS Michigan already docked at the South Korean city of Busan.
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