China's president Xi Jinping again urged US leader Donald Trump to show restraint on North Korea, as nuclear tensions simmered in east Asia and satellite imagery seemed to indicate another nuclear test by Pyongyang was imminent.
In the latest phone call between the leaders of the world’s two largest economies, Mr Xi and Mr Trump discussed bilateral ties and the situation on the Korean Peninsula, the Xinhua news agency reported, “pledging close contact through various means to promptly exchange views on major issues of common concern”.
China is fearful of regime change in North Korea, which could lead to greater US influence on its borders and economic refugees flowing in, and has repeatedly sought dialogue to resolve the Korean nuclear problem.
While Beijing has traditionally backed its ideological ally, alongside whom it fought in the Korean War (1950-53), the Chinese are angry at North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes, which have brought too much international attention to the region for their liking.
Mr Xi noted that if the all parties shouldered their responsibilities and met each other halfway, they could resolve the nuclear issue and denuclearise the Korean Peninsula, Xinhua said.
"China strongly opposes actions that violate resolutions of the United Nations Security Council," Mr Xi said in remarks quoted by the agency.
He added: “China hopes that the parties concerned will exercise restraint and avoid actions that aggravate tensions on the peninsula.”
Heightened rhetoric
The phone call came after a weekend of heightened rhetoric from North Korea, which has antagonised the international community with a series of nuclear tests and missile launches. North Korea threatened to scuttle the USS Carl Vinson nuclear aircraft carrier, which is carrying out drills in the region as part of a strike force.
North Korea is widely expected to conduct another nuclear test, its sixth, in defiance of United Nations sanctions, after satellite imagery appeared to show more activity at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site.
Tuesday is the 85th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People’s Army, and North Korea likes to stage the tests on major holidays to maximise their propaganda impact.
The rest of the Xinhua report on the phone call between Mr Xi and Mr Trump was notably positive in describing US-China relations, saying that Mr Xi had reached “important consensus” with Mr Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida and that their “good communication . . . has won positive evaluation by the Chinese and American peoples and the rest of the international community”.
"With a rapid change of the international situation, it is quite necessary for China and the United States to keep close contact and to exchange views on important issues in a timely manner," Mr Xi said.
He also said their teams should co-ordinate to discuss Mr Trump’s visit to China later this year.
Japanese talks
Mr Trump also spoke by telephone with Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, who later described the conversation as a "thorough exchange of views".
North Korean media again made inflammatory statements about the USS Carl Vinson strike force, which after a number of apparent detours is now said to be heading to Korean waters. Its deployment was “an extremely dangerous act by those who plan a nuclear war to invade”.
Adding to North Korean anger was the news that two Japanese destroyers had joined the strike group for exercises, and South Korean vessels were also set to join.
Further complicating the situation was the news that North Korea had detained a US university professor, Kim Sang-duk, also known as Tony Kim, on Saturday as he attempted to fly out of Pyongyang International Airport.
Additional reporting agencies
