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North Korea nuclear crisis
ChinaDiplomacy

Xi and Trump condemn North Korea’s latest nuclear test and vow a coordinated strategy to end threat

The two presidents denounced North Korea’s latest nuclear test as a ‘provocative and destabilising action’ in a phone call, the White House said

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A North Korean ballistic rocket lifts off from an undisclosed location near Pyongyang in this photo released by the government on August 29. Photo: KCNA via AFP
Zhenhua Lu

President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump on Wednesday evening by phone condemned North Korea’s latest nuclear bomb test and pledged to more tightly coordinate their efforts to remove the nuclear threat from the Korean Peninsula.

The two presidents denounced North Korea’s September 3 nuclear test as a “provocative and destabilising action”, according to a White House statement. Pyongyang’s current path is “dangerous to the world” and “not in its own interest”, they were quoted.

US President Donald Trump (left) and President Xi Jinping walk together at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida in April. Photo: AP
US President Donald Trump (left) and President Xi Jinping walk together at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida in April. Photo: AP
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Xi said China remains determined to resolve the crisis through peaceful talks, China’s Xinhua news agency reported, adding that Beijing attaches importance to Trump’s visit to the country later this year.

Trump said he is deeply concerned about the situation on the Korean Peninsula. Emphasising that China has a crucial role in resolving the crisis, he said he wants to communicate more closely with Beijing to find a solution as soon as possible.

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On Wednesday evening, Trump also spoke with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and British Prime Minister Theresa May by phone to discuss North Korea issues, according to the White House.

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