BEIJING _ China's foreign minister called for North Korea to halt its nuclear activities and the U.S. to end nearby military drills as a way to diffuse growing tensions in the region.
"The two sides are like two accelerating trains coming towards each other, with neither side willing to give way," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters on Wednesday. "The question is, are the two sides really ready for a head-on collision? Our priority now is to flash a red light and apply brakes on both trains."
China is seeking to revive talks as Kim Jong Un's push for more powerful nuclear weapons prompts the U.S. to set up a missile-defense system known as Thaad in South Korea. Wang said the move was "clearly the wrong decision" and that it might make South Korea "less secure."
While the U.S. military has said Thaad is aimed solely at defending South Korea against North Korean missiles, China sees it as a threat to "the strategic equilibrium in the region." It has now suspended the operation of around 40 Lotte Mart stores after the South Korean retail conglomerate agreed to sell land for the missile system, and ordered travel agents to stop selling tour packages to South Korea.
After the proposal from Wang, the South Korean won reversed course to strengthen 0.2 percent on Wednesday to 1,143.54 as of 12:34 p.m. in Seoul, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Kim has accelerated his efforts to acquire the ability to hit the continental U.S. with a nuclear warhead since six-party talks collapsed in 2009. Wang saw the chance for a breakthrough if the U.S. and North Korea halt moves seen as aggressive.
"This suspension for suspension can help us break out of the security dilemma and bring the parties back to the negotiating table," he said in an annual news conference at the National People's Congress.
North Korea reportedly warned this week that U.S.-South Korea war exercises were leading the region to the brink of a "nuclear disaster." The U.S. has pushed China to implement sanctions against North Korea, and has ruled out talks until Kim halts provocations.
"Given North Korea's recent behavior, we're not at the point where we're looking at direct engagement with them," State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters in Washington on Tuesday. "We're not rewarding that behavior in any way, shape, or form."
