China calls on US, N Korea to avert ‘collision’
China warned on Wednesday that North Korea and the US were like two trains racing towards a “head-on collision,” calling on both sides to apply the brakes and avert a security crisis.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s warning came after a cascade of events that has sent tensions soaring, including provocative North Korean missile tests and annual Us-south Korean wargames that infuriate Pyongyang.
Beijing itself is particularly concerned over a US missile-defence system being rolled out in South Korea as a shield against the North Korean threat, which Wang said also “undermines China’s strategic security.” He called on North Korea to suspend nuclear and missile activities in exchange for the US and South Korea halting the exercises.
“The two sides are like two accelerating trains coming toward each other with neither side willing to give way,” Wang said at a press conference on the sidelines of China’s annual parliament session.
“The question is: are the two sides really ready for a head-on collision? Our priority now is to flash the red light and apply the brakes on both trains.”
VIDEO EMERGES OF ‘SON’ OF KIM JONG NAM
A video of a man describing himself as the son of assassinated North Korean exile Kim Jongnam emerged on Wednesday.
South Korea’s intelligence agency confirmed the individual on the video -- uploaded to the Youtube page of a group calling itself Cheollima Civil Defense (CCD) -- is Kim Han-sol.
His father was murdered at Malaysia’s main airport last month, with Pyongyang widely blamed for the assassination.
In the video, the man says in English: “My name is Kim Hansol, from North Korea, part of the Kim family. My father has been killed a few days ago. I’m currently with my mother and my sister. We are very grateful to...” , before the audio cuts off and his movements are blacked out.