Trump and Xi spoke again by phone amid concerns North Korea is preparing for a nuclear test as early as this week.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Monday implored President Trump to show restraint toward North Korea, repeating a plea for patience amid signs the isolated nation is preparing for another nuclear test.
The two spoke by phone for the second time this month, and following a face-to-face meeting in Florida. Trump has urged Xi to exert more pressure on North Korea, which depends largely on its neighbor for economic survival. China insists Washington should do its part to defuse tension over the North’s nuclear ambitions by embracing talks.
China is “firmly opposed to any violations of the U. N. Security Council resolutions, ” Xi said, according to a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement, and is willing to work with the United States.
He also emphasized “hope that all sides exercise restraint and avoid intensifying the situation on the peninsula. Only when each side takes responsibility and works together, can we solve the nuclear issue.”
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The White House issued a statement confirming the two leaders spoke about North Korea, but mentioned nothing about Xi cautioning restraint.
“President Trump criticized North Korea’s continued belligerence and emphasized that Pyongyang’s actions are destabilizing the Korean peninsula, ” the statement said. It added that Trump and Xi “committed to strengthen coordination in achieving the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.”
The Trump administration has warned that all options, including military action, are “on the table” should Pyongyang attempt its sixth nuclear test. North Korea celebrates the 85th anniversary of its army’s founding Tuesday and likes to mark such occasions with displays of its power.
