China has expressed concerns about South Korea’s ongoing antisubmarine drill in the Yellow Sea and North Korea’s threat to mount a “physical counterattack” to the exercise.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said that Beijing is keeping a close eye on the situation as it develops.

Jiang also said that related countries should work to bring peace and stability to the Korean Peninsula.

Her remarks are interpreted as an indirect plea for the two Koreas to avoid making moves that could increase tensions on the peninsula.