BEIJING/PYONGYANG: Military force cannot resolve tension over North Korea, China said on Thursday, while an influential Chinese newspaper urged the North to halt its nuclear program in exchange for Chinese protection.
With a US aircraft carrier group steaming to the area and tension rising, South Korea said it believed the US would consult it before any pre-emptive strike against the North.
Fears have been growing that the reclusive North could soon conduct its sixth nuclear test or more missile launches in defiance of UN sanctions and stark warnings from the US that a policy of patience was over.
China, North Korea鈥檚 sole major ally and benefactor, which nevertheless opposes its weapons program, has called for talks leading to a peaceful resolution and the denuclearization of the peninsula.
鈥淢ilitary force cannot resolve the issue,鈥� Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters in Beijing.
鈥淎mid challenge there is opportunity. Amid tensions we will also find a kind of opportunity to return to talks.鈥�
While US President Donald Trump has put North Korea on notice that he would not tolerate any provocation, US officials have said his administration was focusing its strategy on tougher economic sanctions.
Trump has diverted the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier group toward the Korean peninsula, which could take more than a week to arrive, in a show of force aimed at deterring North Korea from conducting another nuclear test or launching more missiles to coincide with important events and anniversaries.
The possibility of US military action gained traction after the US Navy fired 59 Tomahawk missiles at a Syrian airfield last week in response to a deadly gas attack.
Wang warned that history would hold any instigator to account.
鈥淲hoever provokes the situation, whoever continues to make trouble in this place, they will have to assume historical responsibility,鈥� Wang said.
South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se told Parliament in Seoul he believed Washington would consult Seoul if it was considering a pre-emptive strike. The US has about 28,500 troops in South Korea.
A Washington-based think-tank that monitors North Korea, 38 North, said satellite images on Wednesday showed activity around the North鈥檚 Punggye-ri nuclear test site on the east coast that indicated it was ready for a new test.
South Korean officials said there were no new signs to indicate a test was more likely, although they also said the North appeared ready to conduct a test at any time.
An influential state-backed Chinese newspaper said the best option for North Korea and its leader, Kim Jong Un, was to give up its nuclear program, and China would protect it if it did.
鈥淎s soon as North Korea complies with China鈥檚 declared advice and suspends nuclear activities ... China will actively work to protect the security of a denuclearized North Korean nation and regime,鈥� said an editorial in the Global Times, which is published by the Communist party鈥檚 People鈥檚 Daily.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe underscored fears about threats from North Korea, telling Parliament in Tokyo that Pyongyang could have the capacity to deliver missiles equipped with sarin nerve gas.
A senior Japanese diplomat said the US was putting 鈥渕aximum pressure鈥� on North Korea to resolve issues peacefully while putting responsibility on China to sway its old ally.
鈥淲e will watch what action China takes,鈥� the diplomat said.
While Japan did not see a high risk of military action, it expected to be consulted by the US if it decided to attack. North Korea has about 350 missiles that can hit Japan.
About 200 foreign journalists gathered in Pyongyang for North Korea鈥檚 biggest national day, the 鈥淒ay of the Sun,鈥� were taken to what officials billed as a 鈥渂ig and important event鈥� early on Thursday.
It turned out to be the opening of a new street in the center of the capital, attended by leader Kim.
North Korea marks the 105th anniversary of the birth of state founder Kim Il Sung on Saturday. In 2012, it tried but failed to launch a long-range rocket carrying a satellite to mark the date and tested a newly developed intermediate-range missile last year.
North Korea鈥檚 official KCNA news agency said early on Thursday that Kim Jong Un had guided training of the army鈥檚 special operation forces jumping from aircraft.
On Tuesday, North Korea warned of a nuclear attack on the US at any sign of American aggression. The North is technically at war with the US and South Korea after the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce and not a peace treaty.
The North regularly threatens to destroy both countries.
US officials said Trump was considering sanctions that could include an oil embargo, banning North Korea鈥檚 airline, intercepting cargo ships, and punishing Chinese banks doing business with it.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a whole host of things that are possible, all the way up to what鈥檚 essentially a trade quarantine on North Korea,鈥� one official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters in Washington.
Customs data in Beijing on Thursday showed that China鈥檚 coal imports from North Korea had plunged 51.6 percent in the first three months in 2017 from a year ago.
China suspended issue of permits for coal imports from North Korea on Feb. 18 as part of its effort to implement UN sanctions.
Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke by telephone on Wednesday, just days after they met in the US for the first time, underscoring the sense of urgency about North Korea.
Trump said on Twitter his call with Xi was a 鈥渧ery good鈥� discussion of the 鈥渕enace of North Korea.鈥� He said later on Wednesday the US was prepared to tackle the crisis without China, if necessary.