China: NATO Ignoring 'Crux' of Korean Nuclear Issue by Blaming North Korea for Tensions

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - China accused NATO on Wednesday of ignoring the "crux" of the Korean nuclear problem after the alliance pinned the blame for tensions in the peninsula on North Korea.

"NATO is not a party to the Korean Peninsula issues," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a daily briefing.

"Its communique ignores the crux of the issues and the negative impact of relevant parties’ military deterrence and pressure and double standards on nuclear non-proliferation."

The US-led military alliance said in a communique on Tuesday that the North must abandon its nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs and accept the offers of dialogue put forward by South Korea, Japan and the United States.

Wang said NATO's approach was "not conducive" to the political process on the peninsula and urged all parties to follow the dual-track approach of pursuing in parallel the establishment of a peace mechanism and Korean denuclearization.

"The current situation is not what China wishes to see. We hope parties will be committed to a political settlement, resolve each other’s legitimate concerns in a balanced way through meaningful dialogue and uphold peace and stability on the Peninsula," he said.

Last week, Wang criticized the United States and South Korea for taking the false path of military intimidation after US Forces Korea deputy commander Scott Pleus said the Pentagon would soon send a nuclear-armed submarine to South Korea to enhance the "regular visibility" of its strategic assets in the peninsula.