Seek political solution to end disputes, China tells divided Koreas

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – Amid persistent tensions due to tit-for-tat military activities, China on Monday urged divided Koreas to move towards political resolution to end disputes, state media reported.

“The developments on the Korean Peninsula have reasons behind them, and the current tension is not in the common interests of all parties,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a news briefing in Beijing.

“All sides should move towards each other, adhere to the direction of a political resolution, and jointly maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula."

“North Korea's related policy declarations are matters of North Korean sovereignty, and China consistently supports the improvement of relations between North and South Korea,” the Chinese spokesman said.

​​​​​​​Tensions in the Korean peninsula are said to be at their highest point in years as the pace of both North Korea’s weapons tests and South Korea’s combined military exercises with the US have intensified.

Pyongyang has said it will make constitutional changes to abandon seeking reunification of the Korean Peninsula divided during the Korean War in 1950s, which ended in an armistice.