North Korea warns of nuclear conflict and world war

The US B-1B bombers were flanked by several Japanese and South Korean warplanes(Reuters file photo)

North Korea warns of nuclear conflict and world war after US flies bombers

State-run paper slams US over 'crazy act of playing fire on top of an ammunitions locker'.

VASUDEVAN-SRIDHARAN
By Vasudevan Sridharan Updated July 9, 2017 09:17 BST
     
After the US flew sophisticated B-1B Lancer bombers over the Korean peninsula, Pyongyang warned that more such actions could lead to a nuclear conflict and eventually world war,

In a show of force against the reclusive regime of North Korea, Washington flew two long-range strategic bombers on Saturday, 8 July, flanked by several Japanese and South Korean fighter jets. The trilateral action came days after North Korea test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

Responding to the unscheduled military exercises, the North said such actions could only exacerbate the already tense situation.

"A simple misjudgment or mistake may lead to the outbreak of a nuclear war and that, in turn, is sure to lead to a new world war. The US saying it will regularly deploy strategic bombers to the Korean peninsula is the same as a crazy act of playing fire on top of an ammunitions locker," said the state-run Rodong Sinmun on Sunday, 9 July.

The signed commentary by the mouthpiece is in line with North Korea's policy. It usually sees any joint military drills by South Korea and the US as actual preparations for a full-scale invasion.

"US schemes aimed at increasing its threats of nuclear war against the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea – North Korea's official name] for its legitimate and justified measures to defend its sovereignty and dignity will not evade self-destruction," added the Pyongyang daily.

The nuclear-capable B-1B bombers, originating from the Guam airbase, practised "attack capabilities" for several hours. In an unusual move, US forces also published a photo of the bombers dropping inert GBU-56 laser-guided bombs on mock targets.

Immediate withdrawal is only wise move for India

Commentary: Immediate withdrawal is only wise move for India
(Xinhua)    16:33, July 07, 2017
  
After a three-week stand-off with China on Chinese territory, India should immediately pull back its trespassing troops.

The face-off was caused by Indian border guards who crossed the border at the Sikkim section into Chinese territory and obstructed routine road construction in the Doklam area of China's Tibet Autonomous Region.

In contrast to previous confrontations, the current border dispute is at a long-demarcated section of the China-India border, where no incidents had occurred over the past years.

India has tried to justify its incursion in the name of protecting Bhutan, arguing that Doklam is Bhutanese territory.

However, according to the Convention between Great Britain and China Relating to Sikkim and Tibet (1890), Doklam undoubtedly belongs to China. The agreement was inherited by India after its independence and has been repeatedly confirmed in writing by successive governments of the former British colony.

Documents between the Chinese and Indian governments show former Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru confirmed several times, on behalf of the Indian government, that the Sikkim-Tibet border was defined by the 1890 convention.

It is a basic principle of international law that binding treaties must be executed in good faith.

India's sudden disregard of the 1890 convention runs counter to the ongoing position of the Indian government. It has breached the basic norms of the UN Charter and international laws and will pose a significant threat to bilateral relations.

By creating disputes in Doklam, India seeks to obstruct border negotiations between China and Bhutan, and follow its own ulterior motives in the area.

The claim can not hold water. Doklam has long been under the effective jurisdiction of China. Both Bhutan and China have a basic consensus on the functional conditions and demarcation of their border region.

Moreover, India has no right to interfere in China-Bhutan boundary issues, nor is it entitled to make territorial claims on behalf of Bhutan.

India's current actions have not only encroached on China's territorial sovereignty, but also impaired the independence of Bhutan, one of the world's smallest countries, which is closely allied with India.
India has also argued that Chinese construction would represent a "significant change of status quo with serious security implications for India" in a statement by its Ministry of External Affairs. That argument is unconvincing.

Chinese construction is being conducted within its own territory. It is India that has broken the status quo by trespassing onto Chinese soil. It is not acceptable to any sovereign country that India has crossed a demarcated border into another country on the grounds of its "security concerns."
Indian troops should immediately withdraw to the Indian side of the border as a precondition for any meaningful dialogue between the two countries.

It is clear that if the "Chinese Dragon" and the "Indian Elephant" co-exist harmoniously and achieve peaceful, cooperative development, it will benefit not only their combined 2.7 billion people, but also those living beyond their borders.

Otherwise, a spiral of bilateral rivalry would definitely result in a slow down in their growth.