China chides US about carrier's location

A US aircraft carrier and other warships did not sail towards North Korea, China says.

China has avoided directly criticising the United States for lying about the course of its nuclear aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, but warned that such actions might compromise regional peace.

Aircraft carrier Carl Vinson is currently in the Indian Ocean whereas Washington had said it was on its way to the Korean peninsula.

"We have said again and again all parties need to work together to de-escalate the tension instead of being provocative because provocation cannot achieve the goals," stressed Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang during a press conference on Wednesday.

He underlined the situation in the Korean peninsula is highly sensitive, and therefore all involved countries should avoid aggravating the situation.

He also warned if a war starts the situation will go beyond control, and also criticised the North Korean regime for its threats to continue the nuclear missile tests every week.

"China is very concerned about this new development," said Lu and urged all parties to work jointly and take concrete measures to de-escalate the tension.

The strike group heading the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson, which was moving toward North Korea according to Washington's statement 10 days ago, was in the Indian Ocean over the weekend, about 5000km away from the Korean peninsula, according to a photo published by the US Armada.

The April 15th snapshot showed Carl Vinson, which is accompanied by two guided-missile destroyers, between the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra, and not in the Sea of Japan, as indicated by the White House.


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Source: AAP


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