US, China Call for United Response to North Korea’s ‘Provocations’

The United States and China are calling for a strong international response to North Korea’s nuclear activities, US National Security Council (NSC) spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – US National Security Advisor Susan Rice met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the White House on Wednesday. According to Price's statement, the two "agreed on the importance of a strong and united international response to North Korea’s provocations, including through a UN Security Council Resolution that goes beyond previous resolutions."

They agreed that they would not accept North Korea as a nuclear weapons state, the White House statement stressed.

On January 6, Pyongyang said it had successfully carried out a hydrogen bomb test which triggered a wave of condemnation from the international community.

On February 7, North Korea launched a Kwangmyongsong-4 satellite atop a long-range rocket, defying a UN Security Council resolution which bans Pyongyang from launching rockets that could be used as ballistic missiles carrying nuclear warheads.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and US Secretary of State John Kerry said at a joint press conference on Tuesday that they do not recognize North Korea as a nuclear weapon state and that the UN Security Council is currently discussing a new resolution that would "effectively limit" Pyongyang’s nuclear program.