China urges diplomacy to solve DPRK tensions

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday that diplomatic means must be used to resolve tensions on the Korean Peninsula, where the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has vowed to continue with its nuclear and missile programs in defiance of UN sanctions.

Wang, speaking at a news conference in Beijing, urged all sides to find a peaceful solution.

The remarks came a day after US Vice President Mike Pence warned the DPRK not to test Trump's resolve.

Pence said the world had witnessed Trump's resolve in the past two weeks, which saw a US missile attack on a Syrian airfield and the dropping of a powerful non-nuclear bomb on ISIL in Afghanistan.

"[The DPRK] would do well not to test his resolve or the strength of the armed forces of the United States in this region," Pence said on what was his first stop of a four-nation Asia tour.

Pence also said the US and Republic of Korea had agreed to strengthen anti-DPRK defenses by moving ahead with the early deployment of the THAAD missile-defense system.

Korean peninsula tensions have escalated following repeated the DPRK missile tests and concerns that Pyongyang may soon conduct a sixth nuclear weapons test.

Beijing has reiterated that it supports the UN resolution and opposes the nuclear proliferation in the peninsula. But it urged all sides to stay calm and resolve the issue through dialogue.

"Once a war really happens, the result will be nothing but multiple loss. No one can become a winner," Wang told reporters at a news conference with French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault last week in Beijing, a day ahead Pyongyang paraded a huge display of missiles.

"As long as dialogue takes place, it can be official or unofficial, through one channel or dual channels, bilateral or multilateral. China is willing to give support to all of them," Wang said.

China banned all imports of DPRK coal starting February 26, following repeated missile tests that heighten regional tension. The ban would be effective until December 31, the Ministry of Commerce said.

Earlier this month, China Customs issued an official order telling trading companies to return their DPRK coal cargoes, Reuters reported citing three trading sources with direct knowledge of the order.

Also on Monday, Wang Yi spoke to his UK counterpart Boris Johnson on the phone, and the two exchanged views on Syria issue and Korean Peninsula situation, China's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on its website.

It did not give further details.