China Calls for Political Resolution Amid Trump Order to Scale Back US-South Korea Military Drills

According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, Beijing responded on Monday to President Donald Trump‘s order to significantly scale back annual military exercises with South Korea, advocating for a diplomatic resolution between the two Koreas. Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, emphasized in Beijing that maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and promoting a political solution serves the collective interests of all involved parties.

The statement followed President Trump’s remarks regarding the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, a joint military operation involving South Korean and U.S. forces that officially began on Monday. The drills are taking place amidst renewed tensions with North Korea and ongoing efforts by Seoul to regain wartime operational control from Washington, which currently maintains over 28,500 troops in South Korea under a mutual defense treaty.

Pyongyang has consistently condemned these military exercises, characterizing them as rehearsals for war. On Sunday, President Trump stated that he had instructed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to reduce the scale of the operations. Citing the financial costs of the maneuvers and his personal rapport with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Trump noted on Truth Social that he was dissatisfied with the long-standing commitment to participate in these drills, describing them as overly expensive and as sending an inappropriately hostile signal to Pyongyang. While the President noted that it was too late to cancel the current exercises entirely, his directive signals a significant shift in U.S. military posturing.

The development follows an appeal from South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, who last Saturday called for direct negotiations with North Korea to formally conclude the Korean War. The conflict officially ended with an armistice in 1953 rather than a peace treaty, leaving the two nations technically in a state of war.