China Decries Naval Drills as Obstacle to Easing Korea Tensions

China criticized planned military exercises by more than 40,000 Japanese and U.S. troops as an obstacle to easing tensions on the Korean peninsula, and reiterated its call for increased diplomatic efforts.

“Brandishing of force cannot solve the issue,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said at a regular briefing in Beijing today. “Some are playing with knives and guns while China is criticized for calling for dialogue, is that fair?”