ANKARA

China's ambassador to South Korea expressed concern over the country’s pursuit of a nuclear-powered submarine, local media reported Friday.

During a news conference Thursday, Dai Bing said the issue is directly related to the international nuclear nonproliferation regime and could impact regional stability, Yonhap News Agency reported.

"What I want to emphasize is that the (security) situation on the Korean Peninsula and in the region is still complex and sensitive," he said, adding "South Korea-US cooperation on nuclear-powered submarines is an issue directly related to the global nuclear nonproliferation regime and to stability on the peninsula and in the region."

During his visit to South Korea last month, US President Donald Trump said his administration will share nuclear propulsion technologies with South Korea to allow its navy to build at least one nuclear-powered submarine.

South Korea's Defense Ministry later announced its intent to launch a nuclear-powered submarine built with domestic technology in the mid-to-late 2030s.

The White House has granted approval for South Korea to build nuclear-powered attack submarines and will work closely with Seoul on the project, including fuel sourcing, according to a joint fact sheet released on Nov. 13.

Dai also warned that ongoing efforts by South Korea and the US to modernize their alliance should not be expanded to aim at containing China.

Addressing speculation that US Forces Korea might be mobilized to respond to any emergency situation regarding Taiwan, he reiterated that China would not tolerate external interference.

He said he hopes that “the South Korea-US alliance would not play with fire on the Taiwan issue.”