US says China needs to ‘exert much greater pressure’ on North Korea

United States has said that China has a responsibility to exert much greater pressure on North Korea to prevent escalating tensions.  US diplomatic and defence chiefs met their Chinese counterparts for security talks and pushed China to rein in companies that allegedly deal with its wayward ally North Korea in violation of UN sanctions.

US President Donald Trump has been counting on China to use its economic leverage with the government of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as American concern grows over the North’s acceleration toward having a nuclear missile that can strike the US mainland. Their meeting took place against a backdrop of high tensions on the divided Korean Peninsula.

Chinese officials were not immediately available for comment after the talks. The talks also covered the South China Sea, where Beijing’s island-building and construction of possible military facilities have rattled neighbours and caused tension with Washington.