Amid heated rhetoric, North Korea's neighbors call for bigger weapons
Several East Asian countries are on high alert following North Korea's threat to strike Guam.
During a briefing Tuesday on the opioid epidemic, President Trump warned that North Korea will be "met with fire and fury" by the U.S. if it continues to ratchet up tensions involving its nuclear program.
The Chinese government fears this war of words will spark a regional arms race, which now already seems to be happening. South Korean President Moon Jae-In is calling for a complete overhaul of South Korea's military in the face of North Korea's rapidly evolving nuclear capabilities and in Japan, some lawmakers are pushing for new weapons that could launch a preemptive strike, reports CBS News correspondent Ben Tracy.
In a response to CBS News, the Chinese government said, "The situation on the Korean peninsula is highly sensitive. We hope the parties will be cautious with words and behavior and stop provoking each other and avoid escalation."
Keep in mind, China just agreed to go along with the U.N. sanctions on Kim Jong Un's regime which will largely be up to them to enforce.
However, having the president of the United States throw more fuel on this fire may make China think twice about how far down the road it wants to go in supporting U.S. actions on North Korea.
Next week, North Korea celebrates its liberation day, which some analysts believe could be an opportunity for Kim Jong Un to launch another missile or conduct a sixth underground nuclear test.