China urges end to North Korea-US word war

China warned Tuesday that there are no winners if war breaks out on the Korean Peninsula, and a word war will only increase the risk of confrontation, after North Korea and the US engaged in a verbal tit-for-tat.

“We have heard too much noise over the Korean Peninsula and we hope that politicians from both the US and North Korea realize that war is not an option to solve the peninsula problem or address their concerns,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said at a daily briefing on Tuesday.

A word war and antagonism will only increase the risk of confrontation and reduce the room to maneuver policies, Lu said.

“There are no winners once war breaks out on the peninsula and it would lead to a regional disaster,” Lu stressed, adding that China strongly opposes an escalating word war between the US and North Korea.

Lu’s comments come after US President Donald Trump tweeted over the weekend that North Korea would not be “around much longer,” with North Korea Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho saying that it amounted to a declaration of war.

However, the White House denied on Monday that the US has declared war on North Korea.

“We have not declared war on North Korea and, frankly, suggesting that is absurd,” White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders told a regular briefing in Washington.

“Though there’s no consensus in the US government on how to address the North Korean crisis, war is not an option. To avoid that, Trump must stop his intimidating or threatening tweets or verbal attacks on North Korea’s top leader,” Lü Chao, an expert on Korean studies at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.

Lü added that the tweet from the US president that “almost started a word war” might be intentional.

“On one hand, the rhetoric is a strategy to satisfy those who demand that the government take a harder line against North Korea, on the other hand, Trump might be using words to test North Korea’s bottom line,” Lü said.

North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho accused US President Donald Trump of declaring war on his country and threatened to shoot down American bombers on Monday. The White House denied the allegation as “absurd” and claimed it is not at war with Pyongyang.

Earlier, Trump threatened to “totally destroy North Korea” and that Pyongyang “won’t be around much longer.” North Korea won’t regard these statements as casual musings. From now on, the country will seriously take precautions against potential decapitation operations. Pyongyang believes that the US may launch a military strike at any time, and in response held a mass anti-US rally in Pyongyang backing its leader, a true reflection of its anxiety toward US threats.

If Washington has not made up its mind to strike Pyongyang in the coming weeks, it should avoid escalating its intimidation of the country in this way. Trump threatens North Korea as randomly as he hits at American football players. The rhetoric has already caused serious miscalculations. History suggests that an escalation of miscalculations may eventually lead to a real war.

More worryingly, Trump may have threatened Pyongyang on purpose, which reflects the “calculations” of some American strategists. By intimidating North Korea, Trump is telling the American public that their president and country are still responsible for world security, and will not allow US security to be threatened by countries like North Korea. Meanwhile Trump needs to demonstrate to its allies that the US is still a reliable leader. In addition, tensions on the Korean Peninsula conform to US strategic needs, as the added hostility and antagonism in the region create trouble for China, its main rival in the Asia-Pacific region. This has not been clearly stated, but is actually the most important point.

For a long time, the US has been using the peninsula issue as a tool to manipulate the East Asia situation and to counter China’s rise. This is the main reason that Pyongyang’s nuclear crisis has spiraled into today’s dangerous situation. Further escalation of tensions will only lead to war.

To some extent, the US can take advantage of aggravated tensions to realize its strategic purpose, but the situation may lurch beyond control. The US would inevitably suffer losses if war breaks out. No one knows what will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Both sides should step back and stop trading provocative threats.

Evaluating the current situation before making decisions is perhaps the best choice for the concerned parties for now.

Trump threatens North Korea as randomly as he hits at American football players.