China Calls for Dialogue on Korean Peninsula After North's New Missile Launch

BEIJING (Sputnik) - China hopes South Korea and North Korea will make efforts to find a negotiated solution to tensions on the peninsula, stirred earlier in the day by a new missile launch by Pyongyang, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Friday.

"China is following the developments on the Korean Peninsula. A peaceful and stable Peninsula and keeping the situation from deteriorating and escalating is in the common interests of the entire international community. We hope all parties will stay committed to seeking a political settlement, and address each other's concerns in a balanced way through meaningful dialogue," Mao told a briefing.

Asked if China would support UN sanctions against North Korea after it launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the spokeswoman refrained from giving a direct response and reiterated China's expectation that parties would adhere to dialogue and political settlement.

Earlier on Friday, North Korea launched what was preliminarily identified as a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile, also known as "monster rocket" capable of reaching the US mainland. The South Korean military reported that the missile flew about 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) and reached an altitude of 6,100 kilometers at a maximum speed of Mach 22, which is 22 times faster than the speed of sound. According to Japanese officials, the missile fell about 200 kilometers west of Hokkaido's Oshima Island, within Japan’s exclusive economic zone.

The new launch came a day after North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan and warned the United States and its allies that Pyongyang would respond proportionally to Washington's bolstering of extended deterrence.

North Korea has conducted dozens of missile test launches since the start of 2022, several missiles at once on some occasions. On November 2, North Korea launched more than 20 short-range missiles. Pyongyang has said North Korea’s military-related activities come in response to "provocations" by South Korea and its allies the US and Japan.