US, China reaffirm alliance on North Korea: report

The United States and China have reaffirmed their commitment to a “complete, verifiable and irreversible” denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, Reuters reported Saturday.

President Trump’s Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defense Secretary James Mattis hosted Chinese officials at the State Department on Wednesday. Tillerson said earlier in the week that he planned to press China on resolving the North Korean crisis.

On Saturday, Chinese state media reported that the talks reached consensus.

“Both sides reaffirm that they will strive for the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” the official Xinhua news agency said. According to Reuters, Trump is expected to meet with China’s President Xi Jinping in Hamburg at the G20 summit next month.

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On Tuesday, Trump tweeted that China’s efforts to halt the North Korean threat have been unsuccessful.

“While I greatly appreciate the efforts of President Xi & China to help with North Korea, it has not worked out,” Trump said. “At least I know China tried!”

A U.S. official said that the talks Wednesday “elevated” the level of dialogue between the two countries.

“This discussion elevates the level of dialogue with the Chinese in a way that in our view will enable in-depth consideration in areas of cooperation,” said acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs David Helvey.