Former United States presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday that “cavalier threats” to go to war with North Korea are “dangerous and short-sighted”, Reuters reported. Without mentioning US President Donald Trump, Clinton said, “There is no need for us to be bellicose and aggressive. Picking fights with [North Korean leader] Kim Jong-un puts a smile on his face.”

In an indirect reference to Trump’s rhetoric against Pyongyang on Twitter, Clinton said, “the insults on Twitter have benefited North Korea, I don’t think they’ve benefited the United States”. Clinton said that Washington’s allies were concerned about the reliability of the US, and were thus advising the establishment to be “forcefully patient” instead of being distracted by Pyongyang’s threats.

The former US secretary of state also called on China to play a bigger role in enforcing sanctions against North Korea, aimed at curbing its nuclear programme.

Relations between Pyongyang and Beijing have been strained after the former conducted several nuclear tests this year. But on Tuesday, North Korea sent a congratulatory message to China after the Communist Party congress. The central committee of Pyongyang’s ruling party, the Workers’ Party of Korea, said Beijing had made “great progress in accomplishing the cause of building socialism with Chinese characteristics” under the guidance of the Communist Party of China.