China is “gravely concerned” about ongoing joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises on the Korean Peninsula, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said Tuesday, as North Korea launches missiles and makes statements in opposition to the drills.

“We are gravely concerned over the moves of the U.S. and the ROK in their military exercises,” spokesperson Wang Wenbin stated in a press briefing, calling for “all parties concerned” to “remain restrained and do more things that are conducive to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.”

Wenbin said the “crux” of recent developments is Washington’s refusal to respond to Pyongyang’s “denuclearization measures”