WASHINGTON (AP) — The Chinese government has said it hopes countries would do more to bring North Korea and others back to talks instead of making tensions worse.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang is stopping short of criticizing the U.S. following its declaration of Pyongyang as a state sponsor of terrorism. Lu said Tuesday that the situation on the Korean Peninsula is highly sensitive and that it would be “helpful to bring all parties back to the negotiation table instead of doing the opposite.”
Da Zhigang, a North Korea expert at the Heilongjiang Academy of Social Sciences, said the U.S. move could trigger retaliation from North Korea.
Da says the move “will arouse diplomatic reactions and hatred toward the U.S. from North Korea” and could even prompt the North to resume missile tests.