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Xi urges restraint on N. Korea in phone call with Trump
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FILE - In this April 7, 2017 file photo, President Donald Trump, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping walk together after their meetings at Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach, Fla. China says President Xi has stressed the need for an end to North Korea's nuclear weapons program in a phone discussion with Trump that followed tweets from the U.S. president urging China to play a more active role. Xi told Trump that China insists on peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and advocates resolving the problem through peaceful means. He said China would maintain "communication and coordination" with Washington over it. The two leaders spoke Tuesday night, April 11, 2017, Washington time. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File) (AP/Alex Brandon)
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resident Xi Jinping called for restraint when dealing with North Korea during a telephone call with President Donald Trump, Chinese state media reported Monday, amid speculation that Pyongyang could soon carry out a sixth nuclear test.
The official broadcaster CCTV quoted Xi as telling Trump that China strongly opposed North Korea's nuclear weapons program, which are in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions, and hoped "all parties will exercise restraint and avoid aggravating the situation" on the Korean Peninsula.
The Trump administration has warned that all options, including a military strike, are on the table to halt North Korea's ambitions of developing a nuclear-tipped missile that could reach the U.S. mainland. However, U.S. officials have told The Associated Press that the military response isn't likely. Trump has reportedly settled on a strategy that emphasizes increasing pressure on Pyongyang with the help of China.
"Only if all sides bear the responsibilities they're supposed to bear and come together, can the nuclear issue on the peninsula be resolved as quickly as possible," Xi told Trump, according to CCTV.
The phone call, which took place Monday morning Beijing time, came as South Korean officials warned there is a chance that the North will conduct a nuclear test or a maiden intercontinental missile launch around the founding anniversary of its military on Tuesday.
Trump has pressed Xi to exert greater pressure against North Korea, given China's status as the country's sole economic lifeline and major ally. Monday's call is the second time that the two leaders have spoken by telephone since meeting in Florida earlier this month.
In a Friday interview at the Oval Office, Trump told the AP that he declined to label China a currency manipulator mostly because he needed Xi's help with the North Korean crisis.
"They are working with us on North Korea. Now maybe that'll work out or maybe it won't," Trump said, adding that he had a "great relationship" with the Chinese president.
Trump also spoke Monday with and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and they agreed to urge North Korea to refrain from what Abe called provocative actions.
