Trump to talk with China’s Xi on North Korea crisis

U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping. AP FILE PHOTO

BEDMINSTER, United States—US President Donald Trump said he would have a phone call on Friday (Saturday, Manila) with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to discuss the stand-off over North Korea’s nuclear drive.

“That phone call (with Xi) will take place tonight,” Trump told reporters in New Jersey after talks with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and UN ambassador Nikki Haley.

“We have been working very closely with China and with other countries.”

China has traditionally been North Korea’s closest ally but it voted in favor of a series of sanctions last weekend against Kim Jong-Un’s regime at a UN Security Council vote.

READ: Welcome boost from China to global pressure on North Korea

Beijing has been voicing some alarm at the growing war of words between Washington and Pyongyang, which included a warning from Trump this week that North Korea would face “fire and fury” if it kept threatening the US.

READ: Trump escalates ‘fire and fury’ threat to North Korea

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang called Friday on both sides “to be cautious with their words and actions, and contribute more toward easing tensions.”

While Trump reiterated his warnings that he would not allow North Korea to threaten the US, he did stress his desire to find a peaceful resolution to the standoff.

“Hopefully it will all work out. Nobody loves a peaceful solution better than President Trump, that I can tell you,” he said.

“Hopefully it will all work out … but we will see what happens.”