China declares stance if Korean war breaks out

The Global Times said that if North Korea launches an attack that threatens the US, China will remain neutral, but if Washington launches a preemptive strike on Pyongyang and tries to overthrow the regime of leader Kim Jong-un, Beijing will prevent this from happening.

Artillery guns fired simultaneously during a military exercise in North Korea on April 25 (Photo: Reuters)

“It is necessary to clarify (China's) stance to all parties and let them understand that when their actions harm China's interests, China will resolutely respond,”Reutersquoting a passage from an article published onGlobal Times, a subsidiary publication ofPeople's Daily- mouthpiece of the Communist Party of China, August 11.

“China also made it clear that if North Korea were to launch missiles that threatened US territory first and then the US took retaliatory action, China would remain neutral,”Global Timessaid.

“If the US and South Korea launch attacks and seek to overthrow the North Korean government and change the political direction on the Korean peninsula, China will step in to stop these countries,” he said.Global Timesfor more information.

Global Timesstressed that Beijing “resolutely opposes any party that wants to change the status quo in the region where China maintains its interests.” In China’s view, the Korean peninsula is a place where the strategic interests of all parties need to be aligned and no party has the right to completely dominate the region.

Comments byGlobal Timeswas made in the context of the situation on the Korean peninsula being in a "tense" state when Pyongyang and Washington continuously issued "cold" warnings against each other.

President Donald Trump has vowed to unleash “fire and fury” on North Korea if Pyongyang continues to threaten the United States. Meanwhile, General Kim Rak-Gyom, commander of the North Korean Missile Defense Force, said the force will complete a plan for a mid-range ballistic missile attack on the US island of Guam by mid-August and submit it to leader Kim Jong-un for orders.

China, North Korea's most important ally and largest trading partner, has repeatedly called for calm in the crisis on the Korean peninsula. It has expressed disappointment with North Korea's repeated missile tests and criticized actions by the United States and South Korea that Beijing says have contributed to escalating tensions.

According to Dan Tri