South Korean marines patrol Yeonpyeong island. North Korea said on Friday it would strike again at the South if a live-fire drill by Seoul on the disputed island of Yeonpyeong went ahead, with an even stronger response than last month's shelling that killed four people. –Reuters Photo

BEIJING: China warned on Saturday that a possible fresh clash between North and South Korea could shake regional stability and it urged both governments to avoid moves that it said would stoke tensions.

Reflecting Beijing’s hands-off stance towards the volatile rift between the two sides of the Korean Peninsula, the statement from Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu neither directly criticised Seoul’s plans to stage a live-fire military drill nor Pyongyang’s threat to strike if the drill goes ahead.

But Jiang’s statement, issued on the Ministry’s website (www.mfa.gov.cn), made plain that Beijing fears a repeat of the confrontation that erupted last month, when North Korea shelled a South Korean island after Seoul staged a military drill.

“The situation on the Korean peninsula is now particularly complex and sensitive, and China is highly concerned,” Jiang said.

“If a bloody clash breaks out on the peninsula, the first to suffer will be the people on both sides of the peninsula, and it would also certainly wreck regional peace and stability, harming surrounding countries.”

Jiang renewed China’s call for talks to defuse the confrontation between Seoul and its long-time ally Pyongyang.

“China resolutely opposes, without the least ambiguity, any actions that could lead to a deterioration and escalation in the situation and wreck regional peace and stability.”