China advises Tillerson to take a 'cool-headed' approach to North Korea

Tillerson and Wang meet in Beijing
(Image credit: LINTAO ZHANG/AFP/Getty Images)

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi met Saturday in Beijing to discuss North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Wang pushed Tillerson to take a "cool-headed" approach after Tillerson on Friday warned a military response was "on the table" if North Korea further threatened South Korean or U.S. forces. Earlier Friday, President Trump tweeted China "has done little to help" the U.S. deal with North Korea, irking China.

After a two-hour talk Saturday, Tillerson said he and Wang agreed to work together to get North Korea to "make a course correction and move away from the development of their nuclear weapons." "We share a common view and a sense that tensions on the peninsula are quite high right now and that things have reached a rather dangerous level, and we've committed ourselves to doing everything we can to prevent any type of conflict from breaking out," Tillerson said.

Wang described the meeting as "candid, pragmatic, and productive."

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