London, Mar 2 (IANS): A senior Chinese diplomat has called upon the US to "shift its tactics on Korea," saying that "the Korean nuclear crisis has escalated so much that it is now threatening world security."

Fu Ying, diplomat and now chairperson of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), said in an article published on Thursday by the Daily Telegraph newspaper: "Peace on the Peninsula is not possible without settling the nuclear issue, which means the United States and North Korea must talk directly."

"The US and its allies pay more attention to possible restrictions on North Korea than addressing its security concerns in exchange for abandoning its nuclear program," Xinhua quoted Fu as saying.

However, Fu noted that the US and its allies have imposed unilateral sanctions on North Korea while setting increasing military pressure on the country.

"Increasingly tough sanctions have seriously affected North Korea's economic needs, but failed to stop its nuclear and missile programmes," she noted.

"From China's perspective, sanctions are necessary, but must be aimed at promoting talks," she said, "Pressure without talks would lead nowhere."

China put forward the "suspension for suspension" initiative, under which North Korea would suspend its nuclear and missile programmes, and the US and South Korea suspend their large-scale military exercises.

"Our hope is to give peace a chance," she said, "China does not want war, chaos, nuclear pollution or a refugee wave on the Peninsula. No one would emerge as a winner from a war."