Australian prime minister warns that North Korea’s nuclear test has raised tensions to an alarming extent and urged China to respond
Malcolm Turnbull has labelled Kim Jong-un “evil” and warned the Korean peninsula is “closer to war than at any time” since the Korean War.
In comments to ABC’s AM on Monday the prime minister also used the crisis to discourage the Labor opposition from causing chaos in parliament, accusing it of “playing political games” rather than focusing on the international events.
The foreign minister, Julie Bishop, said the North Korean test of a hydrogen bomb was a “serious escalation” of tensions on the peninsula, warning the bomb was “exponentially more powerful than previous tests”.
Turnbull said that although North Korea “is not a puppet state of China”, China had the “overwhelmingly dominant economic relationship” with North Korea and “can do more” to resolve the crisis.
“This test is a direct affront to China … Kim Jong-un has chosen to affront China, to defy China, and this calls for a strong Chinese response, ” he said.
Asked if China could cut off North Korea’s oil, Turnbull said that “absolutely would be a lever that China could pull, and that would put enormous economic pressure on the regime”.
“The Chinese are frustrated and dismayed by North Korea’s conduct, but China has the greatest leverage, and with the greatest leverage comes the greatest responsibility.
“Having a near-neighbour that is bringing the Korean peninsula closer to war than at any time since the end of the Korean War cannot possibly be in China’s interests.
