Q+A-What Next in the Confrontation on the Korean Peninsula?

By Jeremy Laurence SEOUL, Nov 24 (Reuters) - China on Wednesday came under heavy pressure to tame its ally North Korea after the reclusive state attacked South Korea, with the United States trying to cool tension in the economically powerful region. Tuesday's artillery attack on a South Korean island killed two soldiers, sent scores of civilians fleeing and sparked a sell off in stock futures and the won in offshore trading. Futures for stocks and bonds have since recovered. WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT? Tuesday's barrage was the heaviest bombardment on the South since the Korean War ended in 1953. Tensions are running high in the region. But it is extremely unlikely that this marks the start of an escalating conflict that could lead to a major military confrontation between the two Koreas. For decades, North Korea has followed a strategy of trying to wring concessions from the international community through periodic provocations, carefully calibrated to raise geopolitical tensions without sparking full scale war. Provocations over the...