Chinese President Xi Jinping has called US President Trump on Saturday pleading for restraint on the ongoing war of words and actions which would help ease off tensions escalating between the US and North Korea.
The call from Chinese President Jinping came after the US declared its military to be “locked and loaded” as well as announced a number of other sanctions to deter North Korea from carrying on with its nuclear weapons and missile programs.
The US has also sought Chinese intervention (through diplomatic channels) to build-up pressure on North Korea to discontinue its military pursuits in the field of developing inter-continental nuclear weapons and missiles targeting US territory and allies, as China is North Korea’s largest trade ally.
In a statement released by the White House, it stated that Trump and Xi agreed on the need for North Korea to desist from escalatory behavior. Also, the statement reiterated about the commitment shared by US and China both towards denuclearization of Korean Peninsula.
Meanwhile there has been no sign of restraint from the US and numerous impromptu statements came from Trump on Friday. And so has been the case with North Korea’s Minju Joson newspaper, which lambasted the US in an editorial published on Saturday.
New sanctions imposed by the United Nations on North Korea has also led North Korea to engage further with the United States in a word feud. In the same way as Trump unleashed his verbal rhetoric after US Intelligence agencies confirmed Pyongyang’s capacity to strike US with long-range missiles carrying nuclear warheads. Following which the North Korea disclosed it’s intent to hit US territory Guam (2000 miles away from North Korea) with four intermediate-range Hwasong-12 missiles.
As of now no military mobilization appears to be have been initiated by either the US or the DPRK (the official name of North Korea). Japan however has deployed defense batteries as preemption under a probable North Korean missile’s route.
Source: AP
Global Annal 