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China said on Thursday it was positive that the United States is open to resolving tensions over North Korea through talks.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang made the comment at a regular news briefing in Beijing.

The Trump administration said on Wednesday it aimed to push North Korea into dismantling its nuclear and missile programs through tougher international sanctions and diplomatic pressure, and remained open to negotiations to bring that about.

NAN reports that the U.S. stance, which appeared to signal a willingness to exhaust non-military avenues inspite of repeated warnings that “all options are on the table,” came in a statement following an unusual White House-hosted briefing for the entire U.S. Senate followed by a briefing to the House of Representatives.

The statement from Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Defence Secretary Jim Mattis and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats described North Korea as “an urgent national security threat and top foreign policy priority.”

North Korea’s growing nuclear and missile threat is perhaps the most serious security challenge confronting President Donald Trump, who has vowed to prevent North Korea from being able to hit the U.S. with a nuclear missile, a capability experts say Pyongyang could have some time after 2020.

U.S. lawmakers have been seeking a clear White House strategy following repeated North Korean missile tests and fears it could conduct a sixth nuclear bomb test.

Some lawmakers on both sides went away dissatisfied.

The administration has said military strikes remain an option, officials have stressed tougher sanctions as the key strategy given the risks of massive North Korean retaliation, essentially representing a continuation of the policy of former President Barack Obama’s administration, which failed to slow Pyongyang’s weapons programmes.

(Reuters/NAN)