On Tuesday, August 29, North Korea fired a midrange ballistic missile which flew over Japan. The move reportedly prompted the US President, Donald Trump, to say that there are options on the table.
The missile test came as South Korea and US forces conduct their annual military exercises on the Korean peninsula.
Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying highlighted China's call for peace talks, saying "pressure and sanctions" against North Korea "cannot fundamentally solve the issue", and she added that the country needed to exercise restraint.
"The UN Security Council has put through several resolutions and sanctions have all along been put in place but everyone can see whether they've had actual results," she added.
"On the one hand, sanctions have continued to be put in place via resolutions and on the other hand North Korea's nuclear and missile launch process is still continuing," she further said.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump also expressed his own point regarding the move of North Korea.
"The world has received North Korea's latest message loud and clear: this regime has signalled its contempt for its neighbours, for all members of the United Nations, and for minimum standards of acceptable international behavior," he said.
"Threatening and destabilising actions only increase the North Korean regime's isolation in the region and among all nations of the world.
"All options are on the table," he added.
Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed that "North Korea poses a grave and growing direct threat to the US, Japan and Republic of Korea, as well as to the other countries of the world."
The White House also added that the two nation leaders are committed to increase the pressure on North Korea and encourage the international community to do the same.
