China: U.S., North Korea on collision course

March 8 (UPI) -- North Korea should suspend nuclear tests and the United States should halt military drills to avoid conflict, China's foreign minister said Wednesday.

Using frank language, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi compared the two countries to "two accelerating trains coming towards each other, with neither side willing to give way."

"The question is, are the two sides really ready for a head-on collision? [China's] priority now is to flash a red light and apply brakes on both trains," he said.

He spoke in Beijing during the National People's Congress. Wang also cautioned against the deployment of the THAAD missile defense system in South Korea; China believes the system could be used against it, although the United States has said it will be used only to counter North Korean aggression.

His comments came days after North Korea test-launched four ballistic missiles and the United States installed the first elements of the THAAD system.

Wang called on both North Korea and the United States to ease tensions on the Korean peninsula, suggesting North Korea pause its nuclear program while the United States suspends its regular joint military exercises with South Korea.