Duterte Says China May Act as Mediator Resolve Korean Nuclear Issue

Beijing could serve as a mediator in a dialogue to resolve tensions between the United States and North Korea, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Monday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Friday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at a UN Security Council meeting that Beijing was not the key to resolve tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

"Our greatest chance there of getting some dialogue with America and North Korea would be through the intercession of China," Duterte told reporters after a visit to a Chinese warship in Davao City, as quoted by the The Philippine Star newspaper.

Duterte noted that during the phone conversation with US President Donald Trump last Saturday the issue of North Korean nuclear threat had been discussed, according to the newspaper.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula escalated as North Korea carried out a number of missile launches and nuclear tests in the recent months, which are considered to be in violation of the UN Security Council resolutions.

As a response to the potential use of nuclear weapons, the United States sent a naval group led by US aircraft carrier Carl Vinson to the Korean Peninsula. US media reported that US President Donald Trump might order a strike against North Korea in light of its military activities. The North Korean top officials said the country was ready for nuclear attacks in case of possible US military aggression against Pyongyang.