CHINA’S XI, IN CALL WITH TRUMP, URGES PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT TO KOREA CRISIS

BEIJING – Chinese President Xi Jinping urged President Trump to find a peaceful solution to the crisis on the Korean peninsula during a telephone call between the two leaders early Wednesday, Chinese state media reported.
The phone call comes just four days after the pair held face-to-face talks in Florida but just hours after Trump tweeted that North Korea was “looking for trouble” and reiterated that the United States would “solve the problem” with or without China’s help.
People’s Daily, the official Communist Party mouthpiece, said Xi had thanked Trump for his “warm hospitality and thoughtful arrangements” in Florida, but also took the chance to discuss their “common concerns” about the Korean peninsula and urge against any military escalation of the situation.
“Xi Jinping stressed that China insists on realizing the goal of denuclearization of the peninsula, insists on maintaining peace and stability on the peninsula, advocates resolving the problem through peaceful means and is willing to maintain communication and coordination with the U.S.side on the issue of the peninsula,” the People’s Daily wrote.
The Pentagon sent a Navy strike group led by the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier towards the Korean peninsula over the weekend to “maintain readiness” amid concerns the regime in Pyongyang could be preparing for more missile launches and a possible sixth nuclear test.
The Carl Vinson is accompanied by a carrier air wing, a guided-missile cruiser and two destroyers, which Trump described as “an armada, very powerful,” to Fox Business Network. “We have submarines. Very powerful. Far more powerful than the aircraft carrier. That I can tell you,” Trump said. During their telephone conversation, Xi said he and Trump had “enhanced mutual understanding,” and established a good working relationship. On Syria, Xi said “any uses of chemical weapons are unacceptable,” and also urged for a political settlement, as well as “solidarity” and unanimity at the United Nations Security Council.
But Lv Chao, a North Korean studies expert at Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, said the situation in the Korean Peninsula appeared to top the agenda, warning that it had become a “very serious standoff” after the U.S. carrier had entered nearby waters.
“The concerned parties should really signal red lights and hit the brake to defuse the situation,” Lv said. “Otherwise, it would be very easy for this to accidentally turn into a conflict. Though it’s very unlikely to have a full-scale war on the peninsula, it’s still very dangerous.”
With typical bravado, Pyongyang has also raised the stakes by warning that it could “hit the U.S. first” with nuclear weapons.
While China continues to call for dialogue and a peaceful settlement to the crisis, there is no doubt it has become steadily more impatient with North Korea.
On Monday, a senior South Korean official said China had agreed to slap tougher sanctions on North Korea, through a stronger United Nations resolution, if it carries out nuclear or long-range missile tests.
However, South Korea's chief nuclear envoy Kim Hong-kyun said there was no mention of military option in his talks with China's Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Affairs, Wu Dawei, nor had the pair discussed the possibility of strike by the Trump administration.
U.S. officials have stressed that stronger sanctions are likely to come first, but that military options are not off the table.
But experts say a military strike by the United States remains unlikely, partly because it is not clear where to strike, and partly because North Korea would probably respond with a devastating attack on the South Korean capital Seoul.
China says it has suspended coal imports from North Korea to comply with U.N. resolutions, but also urges a resumption of talks to find a peaceful settlement. It will not support any action that undermines or could topple the regime in Pyongyang.
Nevertheless, its frustration with North Korea is increasingly evident.
On Tuesday, the state-run Global Times newspaper urged Pyongyang to stop its nuclear and missile program for its own security, arguing that a sixth nuclear test or inter-continental ballistic missile test would be seen as a "slap in the face" of the U.S. government and increase the chances of U.S. military action.
“Not only Washington brimming with confidence and arrogance following the missile attacks on Syria, but Trump is also willing to be regarded as a man who honors his promises,” the paper wrote.
“The U.S. is making up its mind to stop the North from conducting further nuclear tests. It doesn’t plan to co-exist with a nuclear-armed Pyongyang,“ it said. ”Pyongyang should avoid making mistakes at this time.”
Global Times editorials do not represent official government policy, but they do often reflect a strain of thinking within the Communist Party.
The paper also said China would seek stronger action by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) if North Korea continued to conduct tests.
“If the North makes another provocative move this month, Chinese society will be willing to see the UNSC adopt severe restrictive measures that have never been seen before, such as restricting oil imports to the North,” the paper said, warning that the regime's "gamble" could backfire.
“Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program is intended for securing the regime, however, it is reaching a tipping point.”
North Korea is expected to hold a huge military parade Saturday to celebrate the 105th birthday of its founding president, Kim Il Sung, and to mark with similar fanfare the 85th anniversary of the creation of the Korean People’s Army on April 25.

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