China’s foreign minister holds talks with US secretary of state on North Korea

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke by telephone with US Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday about the situation on the Korean peninsula, China’s foreign ministry said.

The brief statement provided no other details.

North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test on January 6 claiming to have set off a miniaturised hydrogen bomb, which was disputed by many experts and the governments of South Korea and the United States.

The UN Security Council imposed harsh new sanctions on the isolated state last week for the nuclear test. It launched a long-range rocket in February drawing international criticism and sanctions from its rival, South Korea.

READ MORE: Kim Jong-un claims N. Korea has miniaturised warheads that constitute a ‘true nuclear deterrent’

South Korea announced further measures on Tuesday aimed at isolating the North by blacklisting individuals and entities that it said were linked to Pyongyang’s weapons programme.