China signals North Korea to stop throwing the 'world into chaos'

BEIJING -- In a sign of China’s exasperation with its rogue ally, North Korea, newly installed Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday condemned nations that throw the “world into chaos.”


Without mentioning North Korea by name, Xi told delegates at an international forum in Boao, southern Hainan province: “No one should be allowed to throw a region and even the whole world into chaos for selfish gains.’’

Xi advised turning “our global village into a big stage for common development, rather than an arena where gladiators fight each other.’’

The warning came as South Korean intelligence warned of an imminent missile launch from North Korea’s East Coast. North Korea has moved an intermediate-range missile into position for what is most likely a routine test but could possibly target U.S. interests in Guam. The South Korean newspaper Joongang Daily also quoted unidentified South Korean government sources as saying the North might be preparing another nuclear test.

Adding to the urgency, a Japanese official was quoted Monday as saying that Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera had ordered armed forces to shoot down any North Korean missile that comes near its territory.

Pyongyang has been trying to whip up an atmosphere of hysteria for weeks. Its propagandists have issued daily apocalyptic warnings of a coming war, and it has said its nuclear weapons are “treasures” that will never be bargained away. Foreign embassies based in Pyongyang have been advised to evacuate their personnel by Wednesday, although most governments have declined, seeing the warning as another inflammatory tactic.

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