China urges restraint after DPRK armistice announcement

BEIJING - China on Wednesday called for calmness and restraint after Pyongyang's military announced that it would nullify a Korean War armistice with the Republic of Korea (ROK).

"The Korean War armistice is significant in terms of maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a daily press briefing.

Hua's comments came after the supreme military command of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said Tuesday that the country would nullify the armistice on Monday, the same day that a US-ROK military drill is set to kick off.

China hopes relevant parties will remain calm and restrained, as well as refrain from taking action that could escalate tensions, Hua said.

"In the long-term, we believe that a peace mechanism should replace the armistice," Hua said, adding that relevant parties should work toward this goal through negotiations so as to attain lasting peace and stability in the region.