Trump, Xi Agree to 'Maximize Pressure' on North Korea

US President Donald Trump discussed with Chinese President Xi Jinping over the telephone the issue of North Korea and both expressed a commitment to put maximum pressure on Pyongyang by strictly enforcing existing UN resolutions, the White House said in a press release on Monday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The news comes after Chinese Foreign Ministry's official representative Lu Kang called for the implementation of the United Nations Security Council's (UNSC) resolutions on North Korea on Monday, warning against "complicating matters and creating problems" in reference to statement from US diplomats.

US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said on Sunday that the United States had exhausted the opportunities to resolve the North Korean problem within the framework of the United Nations. She added that if Pyongyang posed a threat to the security of either the United States or its allies, North Korea would be destroyed.

The situation over North Korea's nuclear program has been tense recently with Pyongyang conducting a number of missile launches and nuclear tests. In early September Pyongyang tested a hydrogen bomb that could be loaded into an intercontinental ballistic missile which became Pyongyang's sixth nuclear test.

In the light of these developments, the UNSC unanimously adopted its toughest resolution against North Korea that restricted oil exports to Pyongyang, banned imports of textile products from the Asian nation as well as the country's access to gas liquids, among other restrictions. However, North Korea has not halted its missile and nuclear activity and conducted another missile test on Friday.