Donald Trump and Xi Jinping have agreed “to maximise pressure” on North Korea, the White House has announced, as the US president prepares to use his debut speech to the UN general assembly to urge global action against Pyongyang’s “hostile and dangerous behaviour”.
Trump and Xi held the latest in a series of phone conversations about North Korea on Monday as US and South Korean warplanes responded to Pyongyang’s most recent missile launch with a show of force near the heavily armed border separating the two Koreas.
In a brief summary of their call – at least the fourth since July – the White House said Trump and Xi had discussed “North Korea’s continued defiance of the international community and its efforts to destabilise north-east Asia”.
“The two leaders committed to maximising pressure on North Korea through vigorous enforcement of United Nations security council resolutions,” it added.
