China seeks North Korea assurance, warns against 'troublemaking'

China said it had asked North Korea to ensure the safety of its diplomats after a warning that missions should consider evacuating, and that it would not tolerate "troublemaking" on its doorstep. North Korean authorities on Friday told embassies in Pyongyang that their safety could not be guaranteed if a conflict breaks out, after weeks of escalating threats against the United States and South Korea. Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said China "expresses grave concerns" about the growing tensions on the Korean peninsula but that the Chinese embassy was "operating normally". "The Chinese government has already asked the North Korea side to earnestly ensure the safety of Chinese diplomats in North Korea, in accordance with the Vienna Convention and international laws and practices," he said in a statement on the foreign ministry website Sunday. Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a phone conversation with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon that there were deep concerns over the situation on the Korean peninsula. "We oppose provocative words and actions by any party in this region, and will not allow troublemaking on China's doorstep," he said in unusually sharp comments released by the ministry late Saturday. The New York Times said last week that the US is pressuring China to crack down on the regime in North Korea or face an increased US military presence in the region. Beijing has been Pyongyang's sole major ally for decades and is its biggest trading partner, providing key energy supplies to the impoverished nation. Most foreign embassies in Pyongyang have signalled they will remain in the North Korean capital despite the warning. Tensions have been running high on the Korean peninsula with a series of apocalyptic threats from the North, incensed by fresh UN sanctions imposed after its widely-condemned long-range rocket launch and a third nuclear test. Ban was "confident the Chinese leadership would also do its best to help calm the situation and help Pyongyang to reverse course", according to a UN statement.