Both sides agree communication is key as Tillerson visit to China begins
US Secretary of State in Beijing for talks on a range of issues, including North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme
The US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has met with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing. The talks on Saturday were expected to be dominated by North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme and escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula. Here are the main points covered in the talks.
NORTH KOREA:
Both sides agreed that North Korea should be stopped from developing nuclear weapons and launching missile tests. “I think we share a common view and a sense that tensions in the [Korean] peninsula are quite high right now and that things have reached a rather dangerous level,” Tillerson said after meeting with Wang.
The Chinese foreign minister said there had to be a commitment to use diplomatic means to peacefully settle the North Korea issue, while Tillerson said all previous attempts have failed.
“We know that efforts made over the last 20 years so far have not succeed in curbing North Korea’s illegal weapon programme,” Tillerson said.