A Chinese state-run newspaper suggested Beijing would “stay neutral” if North Korea strikes first in a conflict with the United States, despite a mutual defence pact between the Asian allies. The nationalistic Global Times tabloid said on Friday in an editorial that Washington and Pyongyang were playing a “reckless game” that could lead to “miscalculations and a strategic war” “China should also make clear that if North Korea launches missiles that threaten US soil first and the US retaliates, China will stay neutral,” the editorial said. However, it added: “If the US and South Korea carry out strikes and try to overthrow the North Korean regime and change the political pattern of the Korean peninsula, China will prevent them from doing so.” The commentary came after Washington warned North Korea this week it faced “fire and fury like the world has never seen” if it continued to threaten the US with its missile and nuclear programmes.
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