China urges calm after N Korea reactions to UN sanctions

China has called for “calm and restraint” after North Korea reacted to a new series of UN sanctions with vows of a nuclear strike and cancellation of peace deals with South Korea.

Hua Chunying, the spokeswoman of the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Friday, “China calls on relevant parties to exercise calm and restraint, and avoid actions that might further escalate tensions”.
She further expressed concern over the current “highly complex and sensitive” situation on the divided Korean peninsula.
On Thursday, the United Nations Security Council unanimously passed a resolution, drafted by the United States and China, against North Korea, tightening Pyongyang’s financial dealings and adding new names to the UN sanctions blacklist.
Ahead of the UN vote, Pyongyang threatened to launch “preemptive” nuclear strikes on the United States to defend itself in the event that Washington ignited a nuclear war.
North Korea also cancelled all agreements on non-aggression with South Korea and cut the hotline between Pyongyang and Seoul.
Earlier on Friday, South Korea warned that the North would “perish from earth” if it went ahead with its threats to attack the South.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un also toured two islands near the disputed maritime border with the South on Thursday, saying the country was “fully ready to fight a Korean style all-out war.”