Trump, Xi agree on maximizing pressure’ on N. Korea

UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) - US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping committed to ‘’maximizing pressure on North Korea’’, the White House said Monday, amid an escalating crisis over Pyongyang’s ballistic and nuclear weapons programs.

In a phone call the two men discussed ‘’North Korea’s continued defiance of the international community and its efforts to destabilize Northeast Asia,’’ the White House said.

‘’The two leaders committed to maximizing pressure on North Korea through vigorous enforcement of United Nations Security Council resolutions.’’

Trump is currently in New York for the United Nations General Assembly but Xi -- who has a major Communist Party congress that will cement his leadership for the next five years -- is not attending the event.

Trump is expected to make his first presidential visit to China in early November.

The US president has not ruled out a military option, which could leave millions of people in the South Korean capital -- and 28,500 US soldiers stationed in the South -vulnerable to potential retaliatory attack.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Monday the United States has ‘’many’’ military options against North Korea, including some that don’t put Seoul at risk.

His comments come after President Donald Trump’s administration ramped up pressure on North Korea on Sunday, warning Pyongyang will be ‘’destroyed’’ if it refuses to end its ‘’reckless’’ nuclear and ballistic missile drive.

‘’There are many military options, in concert with our allies, that we will take to defend our allies and our own interests,’’ Mattis told Pentagon reporters.

He did not provide details, but he responded affirmatively when asked if these included options that would not put Seoul at grave risk.

Mattis also confirmed that the US and Seoul had discussed the option of sending limited-size ‘’tactical’’ nuclear weapons to South Korea.

‘’The bottom line is that in the missiles, were they to be a threat, whether it be the US territory Guam, obviously Japan, Japan’s territory, that would elicit a different response from us,’’ he said.