The Democratic People's Republic of Korea has warned of pre-emptive nuclear strikes against the United States and the Republic of Korea in response to their joint military exercise, which will run through April 30.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have been rising after Pyongyang conducted its fourth nuclear test two months ago and launched a long-range rocket on Feb. 7. The DPRK continued rocket launches after the UN Security Council adopted a resolution, which broadened the scope of the financial sanctions and arms embargo on the country, on March 2.

The US and the ROK have reiterated that their joint military drill, codenamed Key Resolve and Foal Eagle, is routine and defense-focused, and they still want to convey a message of deterrence to the DPRK and other parties, in order to maintain regional security.

In fact, the joint exercise, reported to be conducted on the largest-ever scale involving a slew of cutting-edge weapons, has brought the peninsula one step closer to regional conflict. To "deal with" Pyongyang's recent nuclear test and satellite launch, Washington has been expediting its military deployment on the Korean Peninsula.

More worryingly, the US and the ROK started talks on the deployment in the ROK of a sophisticated US missile defense system, also known as the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense.

This is a dangerous move, because it will heighten tensions on the peninsula and hamper its denuclearization process. Given the multitude of uncertainties and sophisticated issues involved, relevant parties should refrain from conducting military drills in the region - this is very important for laying the groundwork for peaceful dialogue.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi has made clear the only way for all relevant parties to get out of the standoff on the peninsula. Wang said that the U.N. resolution must be implemented in its entirety, and China will not accommodate Pyongyang's pursuit of its nuclear and missile programs, but Pyongyang's desire for development and security needs to be supported.

The continued consolidation of the US' military alliance with the ROK and expansion of its strategic deployment on the peninsula will only prompt the DPRK to go to extremes to confront, which will undermine other regional players' efforts at meditation.

Restoring regional peace and stability requires more concerted international efforts, not one-sided provocation.

Therefore, all parties concerned should work closely to resume the Six-Party Talks, the indefinitely stalled multilateral dialogue mechanism, as well as establishing a peace mechanism in the region.

The author is an associate researcher at the Center for Northeast Asian Studies in Jilin province.

(China Daily USA 04/01/2016 page4)