North Korea criticised the United States over its arms sales and military support for Taiwan, accusing Washington of fuelling tension in the Taiwan Strait, state news agency KCNA said on Wednesday.
A KCNA commentary citing North Korean international affairs analyst Kim Myong Chol said US policy on Taiwan was undermining peace and stability in the region and condemned the appearance of US-sold fighter aircraft in Taiwan.
The US “should think twice whether it is ready to stand in frontal confrontation with the powerful national power of the People’s Republic of China for the security of Taiwan and whether it can cope with its consequences,” it added.
Last week, Taiwan received the first two of a batch of 66 new F-16V Block 70 fighter jets ordered in 2019, in the face of a rising military threat from Beijing.
The comments show Pyongyang is aligning more closely with China on Taiwan, one of Beijing’s most sensitive foreign policy issues. China claims the democratically governed island as its own, though Taipei rejects the sovereignty assertion.
North Korea has strengthened ties with China and Russia in recent years, raising security concerns for the US and its allies in Asia and the West.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un told Chinese President Xi Jinping during a Pyongyang summit in June that he would fully support the “One China” principle, which Beijing views as meaning that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one country, regardless of changes in the international situation.
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