WASHINGTON: The White House on Friday said that Chinese leader Xi Jinping had agreed to keep up sanctions pressure on North Korea, amid fears a diplomatic gambit could lead to backsliding. “I hope the United States and North Korea can start to get in touch and dialogue as soon as possible, and strive to obtain positive achievements,” said Xi, according to Xinhua. Xi told Trump the move to pursue denuclearization through “the right track of dialogue” was positive. Under pressure from Trump, Beijing has backed a series of United Nations sanctions against North Korea, sending relations between the Cold War-era allies to a new low. The thaw follows a period of extreme tension between Washington and Pyongyang that sounded like the growing drumbeat of war.

Source: New Strait Times March 09, 2018 21:00 UTC