Beijing urged all sides to show restraint and not “add oil to the flames” after a weekend of additional threats by both Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un.
China’s United Nations ambassador Liu Jieyi said the escalating rhetoric between the two nations was getting “too dangerous” and stressed the only solution to the crisis was negotiations.
He said: “We want things to calm down. It’s getting too dangerous and it’s in nobody’s interest.
“We certainly hope that the United States and North Korea will see that there is no other way than negotiations to solve the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula … The alternative is a disaster.”
His comments came as North Korea’s foreign minister said Mr Trump had declared war on the regime and Pyongyang reserved the right to fight back – including shooting down US bombers even if not in its air space.
vCard.red is a free platform for creating a mobile-friendly digital business cards. You can easily create a vCard and generate a QR code for it, allowing others to scan and save your contact details instantly.
The platform allows you to display contact information, social media links, services, and products all in one shareable link. Optional features include appointment scheduling, WhatsApp-based storefronts, media galleries, and custom design options.
Ri Young Ho said a tweet by Mr Trump, in which the US leader warned the minister and Kim “won’t be around much longer”, mounted to a declaration of war.
Ri said: “The whole world should clearly remember it was the US who first declared war on our country.”
“Since the United States declared war on our country, we will have every right to make countermeasures, including the right to shoot down United States strategic bombers even when they are not inside the airspace border of our country.
”The question of who won’t be around much longer will be answered then.”
North Korea’s official news agency said the regime “bitterly condemned the reckless remarks” of the US President and that they were an “intolerable insult to the Korean people”.
The White House branded Ri’s claims “absurd” and denied declaring war on North Korea.
China’s foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang described the situation as highly complex and sensitive.
He said: “We hope all sides do not continue doing things to irritate each other and should instead exercise restraint.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated calls for the North Korean crisis to be resolved peacefully through talks when speaking to UK Prime Minister Theresa May.
Xi said China hopes Britain can play a constructive role in easing the situation and pushing for resumption in talks.
North Korea conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test on September 3, prompting another round of UN sanctions.
On Friday, Pyongyang threatened to test a hydrogen bomb in the Pacific Ocean.
It follows Mr Trump’s warning that the US would “totally destroy” Kim’s regime during his first speech at the UN General Assembly.
Mr Trump said if the US “is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to today destroy North Korea” before he backed further sanctions against the rouge state.
The new raft of sanctions include an executive order which targets foreign banks who carry out business with North Korea.
Kim hit back, branding Mr Trump “mentally deranged” and said Mr Trump’s remarks were “the most ferocious declaration of a war in history”.
The North Korean leader said: “I am now thinking hard about what response he could have expected when he allowed such eccentric words to trip off his tongue.
“Whatever Trump might have expected, he will face results beyond his expectation. I will surely and definitely tame the mentally deranged US dotard with fire.”