Speaking on Korean issue, China’s premier says no one wants ‘chaos on their doorstep’
Escalating tension would harm all involved, Li Keqiang warns at annual NPC press conference
Escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula will only lead to harm for all concerned, Premier Li Keqiang warned as he called for dialogue to contain Pyongyang’s nuclear programme.
But Li made no mention of Beijing’s row with Seoul and Washington over the deployment of an controversial anti-missile system, which the United States began to deploy in South Korea this month. China views the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence missile system (THAAD), as a threat to its own strategic interests as THAAD’s powerful radar system could penetrate China’s military secrets, and Beijing has long opposed the deployment.
South Korea says the system is only to protect itself from missile threats from the North.
“We hope that through efforts by different parties, the tense atmosphere can be eased and all the parties can come back to the track of duologue,” Li said at his annual press conference following the close the National People’s Congress on Wednesday. “It’s common sense that no one wants to see constant chaos on their doorstep.”
Tensions on the Korean peninsula have escalated in recent weeks after Pyongyang launched four ballistic missiles earlier this month, during the annual US-South Korea military drills in South Korea, in which the USS Carl Vinson, a US navy super-carrier, participated.
On Tuesday, North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) warned that its army would launch “merciless” strikes from ground, air, sea and underwater if the US super-carrier infringed on its sovereignty or dignity during the drill.
