How China, Japan, Russia & the US Reacted to North Korea-US Crisis

The latest in the high-stakes show of strength between US-North Korea.

North Korea denounced the United States on Friday for bringing "huge nuclear strategic assets" to the Korean peninsula as a US aircraft carrier group headed for the region amid concerns the North may conduct a sixth nuclear weapon test.

Here’s a list of the events that took place around the world amid the crisis.

Also Read: Trump Offers China Trade Benefits to Counter N Korea’s Nuke Threat

• North Korea military said on Friday it would "ruthlessly ravage" the United States if Washington chose to attack. "Our toughest counteraction against the US and its vassal forces will be taken in such a merciless manner as not to allow the aggressors to survive," North Korea's official KCNA news agency quoted its military as saying in a statement. (Source: Reuters)
• North Korea's army vowed a 'merciless' response to any US provocation, the official news agency KCNA reported on Friday, as tensions soar over Pyongyang's rogue nuclear programme. [Source: PTI]
• China said on Friday tension over North Korea had to be stopped from reaching an "irreversible and unmanageable stage" amid fears that the North Korea may conduct a sixth nuclear weapons test. [Source: Reuters]

• US Vice President Mike Pence will travel to South Korea on Sunday, in what his aides said was a sign of the US commitment to its ally in the face of rising tensions over North Korea's nuclear program. [Source: Reuters]
• A conflict over North Korea could break out "at any moment", China's foreign minister Wang Yi said on Friday, warning there would be "no winner" in any war, as tensions soar with the US. [Source: PTI]
• North Korea's vice foreign minister on Friday blamed President Donald Trump for building up a "vicious cycle" of tensions on the Korean Peninsula, saying that his "aggressive" tweets were "making trouble." [Source: AP]

Also Read: US Sends Aircraft Carrier Close to North Korea Waters

• Asian shares fell on Friday as investors fretted over rising geopolitical tensions. Japan's Nikkei dropped 0.5 percent to a four-month low, while South Korea's Kospi lost 0.6 percent. Shanghai shares were down 0.9 percent. [Source: AP]
• The Kremlin said on Friday it favoured diplomatic methods of resolutions of all crises. It said it’s watching the developments around North Korea with “great concern.” [Source: Reuters]
• Japan's National Security Council discussed how to evacuate its nearly 60,000 citizens from South Korea in the event of a crisis, a government official said on Friday. [Source: Reuters]
• China's national airline, Air China, suspended flights from Beijing to the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, from late on Friday, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said without giving out any reasons. [Source: Reuters]

Tension has risen since the US Navy fired 59 Tomahawk missiles at a Syrian airfield last week in response to a deadly gas attack, raising concerns about US President Donald Trump's plans for North Korea, which has conducted missile and nuclear tests in defiance of UN and bilateral sanctions.

(With inputs from Reuters, AP and PTI.)

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