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World powers such as France, Germany, Britain and China have an obligation to stop North Korea from triggering a worldwide crisis over its nuclear weapons program, the European Union's foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, warned Thursday. As tensions between the U.S. and North Korea have risen in recent days, with both nations exchanging increasingly tough warnings about potential military strikes, Mogherini saidEurope and China must work together "in times of growing tensions and geopolitical unpredictability" to avoid an outbreak of war in the Korean Peninsula.

"Everyone understands that the crisis withNorth Koreawill have a global fallout," she said during aspeech at Tsinghua University in China as part of a three-day trip to discuss trade and geopolitics. Mogherini said shebrought up her concerns aboutNorth Korea during talks this week with Chinese officials in Beijing.

She said the EU and China havea "common responsibility and an interest to avoid a military escalation in the Korean Peninsula, to push for North Korea to abide by its international obligations and re-engage with the international community, and work together for a denuclearized Korean Peninsula."

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Her remarks came asEuropean Union officials are debatinghow to respond to North Korea's nuclear threats. The EU, a major trade partner with South Korea and Japan,increased sanctions against Pyongyang in March, including banning its members frominvesting in North Korea's mining, refining and chemical industries. A statement at the time calledthe isolated nation's nuclear and missile tests "a grave threat to international peace and security in the region and beyond." But officials in Germany and Sweden have called for maintaining diplomatic ties withPyongyang and continuing to sendhumanitarian aid to North Koreans.

Mogherini said the threat from North Korea should be obvious to all. She shared during her speech how her 12-year-old daughter hadrecently raisedquestions about the potential fornuclear war in the region if the situation further deteriorated, the Associated Press reported."If a 12-year-old in Europe understands the risks of an escalation, (in) such a faraway place from home, it is quite self-evident that we have common responsibilities," Mogherinisaid.

North Korea has warned in recent months that it could use its growingnuclear weapons program to attack the U.S. or South Korea.PresidentDonald Trumphas urged China, a close Pyongyang ally, to use its influence to persuadeNorth Korea to give upits nuclear and missile programs and stop threatening other nations.

Pyongyang has so far remained undeterred.The North Korean government warned Thursday in the state-run Rodong Sinmun, the officialnewspaper of North Koreas Workers Party,of a super-mighty preemptive strike against the U.S. military that "will completely and immediately wipe out not only U.S. imperialists' invasion forces in South Korea and its surrounding areas but the U.S. mainland and reduce them to ashes."

Vice PresidentMike Pencesaid Wednesday while visiting Tokyo thatthe U.S. would respond with an "overwhelming and effective" military strike if North Korea attempts to execute any of its threats against Washington.

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North Korea War Would Have 'Global Fallout,' European Union Policy Chief Warns - Newsweek