China repeats opposition to U.S

“We do not accept the DPRK’s nuclear missile program and we do not recognize the DPRK as a nuclear weapon state”, Wang said. That in turn, he said, could jeopardize “China’s legitimate national security interests”.

The current tensions in South China Sea and Syria make experts believe that there could be a thermonuclear brewing involving the United States, China and Russian Federation. According to him, the idea that China is militarizing the South China Sea is somewhat ridiculous to a certain extent.

“Regrettably there are missiles, fighter aircraft, guns, artillery and other things that have been placed in the South China Sea, and this of great concern to everyone who transits and relies on the South China Sea for peaceful trade, commerce and use”, Kerry told a joint news conference.

Turning a deaf ear to China’s calls for honoring its promise not to take sides on the maritime disputes, the US has since last October sent warships and military jets to “deliberately violate ” China’s territorial waters in the South China Sea.

It’s been seven weeks since the North’s January 6 nuclear test, which was followed by a February 7 rocket launch.

Mr Wang stressed that “non-militarisation is not the responsibility of one party alone”, hinting that United States freedom of navigation operations and military exercises are to blame, said Ms Bonnie Glaser, senior adviser for Asia at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

The South China Sea issue is not and should not become an issue between China and United States, Wang said, stressing that it is important to prevent any miscalculation between Washington and Beijing.

It is a timely visit in light of the recent nuclear test and satellite launch by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), which have threatened the stability in East Asia by pushing the Korean Peninsula to the edge of armed confrontation.

Wang also reiterated the importance of resolving the nuclear issue through dialogue.

The long-standing US position has been that North Korea needs to disarm first, but the Obama administration has recently indicated some flexibility on this point, although it says Pyongyang remains reluctant to resume talks on its nuclear arsenal. “It’s something that we share”, he said. He said the system would not be needed “if we can get to denuclearization”.

But Wang said China remained concerned that the X-band radar to be deployed with the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system built by Lockheed Martin Corp had a range that extended far beyond the Korean peninsula into the interior of China.

During a monthly press briefing, China’s defense ministry spokesman Wu Qian expressed “serious concerns” about the possible deployment of the THAAD battery.