The exchange of fire between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea (ROK) on Nov 23 was followed by trading of charges between the two sides and the condemnation of Pyongyang by the West, with the United States taking the lead.

Surprisingly, the US, the ROK and Japan have criticized China, too, for the escalation of tension on the Korean Peninsula. They are pressuring China to side with the "international community" against the DPRK. The subtext of their criticism is that if China does not side with them, they would assume it is helping the DPRK. In other words, their aim is to tarnish China's image as a peaceful rising power.

The US and the ROK have held joint military drills in the Yellow Sea, consolidating their military alliance. And during the recent US-Japan joint military exercise, Japan for the first time proposed considering "China as an imaginary enemy", reflecting the nature of the two countries' ties.

The exchange of fire between the DPRK and the ROK is unfortunate and the civilian causalities a tragedy. Given the complicated context of the skirmish and with the two countries sticking to their arguments, it is unrealistic to take sides with one or the other. Besides, taking sides will not help defuse the tension on the peninsula.

It is preposterous to accuse China of "harboring" the DPRK, and it is wrong to assume that Beijing could pressure Pyongyang into changing its stance. As a responsible power, China has always taken a non-partisan stance in disputes between other countries, and the US, the ROK and Japan cannot force it to do what they want.

China condemns any provocation that threatens peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula irrespective of whether it comes from the DPRK or the ROK. Neither Pyongyang nor Seoul wants to heighten tension further, and a full-scale war on the peninsula would not be in the interest of Washington or Tokyo, either.

To prevent the situation from deteriorating further, China has been busy urging the other parties to exercise calm and take measures to resolve the issue through dialogue. Earlier this month, China proposed a six-party emergency meeting, saying consultations could help ease tension on the peninsula and create conditions for the resumption of the Six-Party Talks. Even though China's State Councilor Dai Bingguo emphasized that the proposed emergency meeting did not necessarily mean resumption of the Six-Party Talks, the US, Japan and the ROK ignored the appeal, and decided to take a tough stand against the DPRK.

Experience shows that large-scale military exercises have not acted as deterrent for the DPRK. On the contrary, such drills could make the DPRK more determined to develop nuclear weapons, which is not what the international community, including China, wants.

By holding joint military drills, the US and its allies are testing the patience of China, too, even though they say the military exercises are not "targeted at China". This reminds one of the Cold War days.