U. S. Secretary of State is meeting with leaders in Japan, South Korea and China to discuss how to address the nuclear and missile threats from North Korea
U. S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says “it is clear that a different approach is required” after 20 years of failed diplomatic efforts to prevent North Korea from having nuclear weapons.
Speaking Thursday in Tokyo on the opening leg of his first trip to Asia as the top U. S. diplomat, Tillerson said part of the reason he is in the region is to exchange views with Japan, South Korea and China on other ways forward.
“North Korea and its people need not fear the United States or their neighbors in the region who seek only to live in peace with North Korea,” Tillerson said at a joint news conference with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida. “With this in mind, the United States calls on North Korea to abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile programs and refrain from any further provocations.”
He further pledged the U. S. commitment to defending Japan and other allies “is unwavering.”
FILE – Flags of China and North Korea are seen outside a closed Korean Restaurant in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, China, April 12, 2016.
On to South Korea, China
Tillerson goes Friday to South Korea and then to his final stop in China, where his agenda includes a meeting with President Xi Jinping.
The secretary of state said Thursday China plays a very important role in efforts to encourage North Korea to abandon its nuclear program, and he encouraged China to fully implement U.
