Chinese President Xi urges Trump to 'exercise restraint' with North Korea

China's President Xi Jinping urged President Trump to tone down his aggressive rhetoric toward North Korea in a phone call Friday night. "At present, relevant parties should exercise restraint and avoid words and actions that would escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula," Xi said, per the Chinese foreign ministry.

Xi's comments come in response to increased saber-rattling from Trump and Pyongyang since North Korea tested missiles that could potentially execute a nuclear strike on the U.S. mainland. Trump said Friday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un "will regret it fast" if he "utters one threat," and North Korea on Saturday boasted of a major expansion of its military forces, claiming that "All the people are rising up across the country to retaliate against the U.S. thousands of times."

Earlier Friday, Beijing indirectly warned its North Korean allies that no Chinese help would be forthcoming if Kim attacks U.S. territory first.

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