©People watch a television screen showing a news broadcast with file footage of North Korea's artillery firing, at a railway station in Seoul on January 5, 2024. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP)
China urged its neighbors, North and South Korea, to observe self-restraint after the former fired an artillery barrage near two South Korean islands.
China called Friday for "restraint" from all sides after Seoul said North Korea had fired an artillery barrage near two South Korean islands.
"Under the current situation, we hope that all relevant parties maintain calm and restraint, refrain from taking actions that aggravate tensions, avoid further escalation of the situation, and create conditions for the resumption of meaningful dialogue," foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters.
Hours after the reported barrage, South Korean marines on the border island of Yeonpyeong conducted live-fire artillery drills, Yonhap news agency reported.
"We are paying close attention to developments and changes to the situation on the Korean Peninsula," Wang added.
"Confrontations between relevant parties have intensified recently, and the situation on the peninsula continues to be tense.
"As a neighbor of the peninsula, China has always advocated maintaining peace and stability on the peninsula and resolving peninsula issues through dialogue and consultation."
China's close ties with North Korea were on show earlier this week when President Xi Jinping spoke by phone with his counterpart Kim Jong Un on New Year's Day.
The conversation saw the two leaders declare 2024 as a "China-DPRK Friendship Year", according to China's state-run news agency Xinhua, using an acronym for North Korea's official name.
With AFP
China called Friday for "restraint" from all sides after Seoul said North Korea had fired an artillery barrage near two South Korean islands.
"Under the current situation, we hope that all relevant parties maintain calm and restraint, refrain from taking actions that aggravate tensions, avoid further escalation of the situation, and create conditions for the resumption of meaningful dialogue," foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters.
Hours after the reported barrage, South Korean marines on the border island of Yeonpyeong conducted live-fire artillery drills, Yonhap news agency reported.
"We are paying close attention to developments and changes to the situation on the Korean Peninsula," Wang added.
"Confrontations between relevant parties have intensified recently, and the situation on the peninsula continues to be tense.
"As a neighbor of the peninsula, China has always advocated maintaining peace and stability on the peninsula and resolving peninsula issues through dialogue and consultation."
China's close ties with North Korea were on show earlier this week when President Xi Jinping spoke by phone with his counterpart Kim Jong Un on New Year's Day.
The conversation saw the two leaders declare 2024 as a "China-DPRK Friendship Year", according to China's state-run news agency Xinhua, using an acronym for North Korea's official name.
With AFP
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