US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday reiterated their mutual commitment to denuclearise the Korean Peninsula and agreed that North Korea must stop its provocative and escalatory behaviour, the White House said.
The two leaders spoke over phone to discuss the escalating tension after Kim threatened the US this week to fire missiles at Guam, a US island territory, after the US sponsored a resolution imposing new economic sanctions on Pyongyang over its missile and nuclear weapons programmes.
The two leaders affirmed that the recent adoption of a new UN Security Council resolution regarding North Korea was an important and necessary step toward achieving peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, the White House after the phone call.
"President Trump and President Xi agreed North Korea must stop its provocative and escalatory behaviour," the White House said, adding that the two leaders also reiterated their mutual commitment to denuclearise the Korean Peninsula.
"Trump looks forward to seeing President Xi in China later this year, a meeting that will be a very historic event," the White House said.
"The relationship between the two Presidents is an extremely close one, and will hopefully lead to a peaceful resolution of the North Korea problem," it said.
In another statement, the White House said Trump spoke with Guam Governor Eddie Calvo.
"Trump reassured Governor Calvo and our fellow Americans on Guam that United States forces stand ready to ensure the safety and security of the people of Guam, along with the rest of America," it said.
White House Chief of Staff John Kelly spoke separately to Calvo earlier in the day, the read out said. Guam has about 7,000 US troops with almost a third of the land controlled by the US military. Trump had warned North Korea it will face "fire and fury like the world has never seen" if it continued to threaten the United States with its missile and nuclear programs.
Xi told Trump that China is willing to keep close contacts with the US, on the basis of mutual respect, to seek a sound settlement on the issue, he added. Xi said he had a productive meeting Trump on the side- lines of the Group of 20 Summit last month in Hamburg, Germany. Maintaining close contacts between the two leaders on issues of common concern is "very important for the development of the China-US relations," Xi added. He urged the two sides to enhance dialogue and communication in accordance with the consensus previously reached, promote exchanges and cooperation in various fields, and appropriately deal with each other's concerns, so as to ensure healthy and stable advancement of bilateral ties.
Trump Tells Guam Governor 'You Are Safe'
Donald Trump has told Guam Governor Eddie Calvo over the phone that "You are safe. We are with you 1,000 per cent", the media reported on Saturday. According to a video tweeted by the Guam News Calvo while talking to Trump via an office phone switched the call to speaker phone to enable viewers hear the conversation clearly, Xinhua news agency reported. "I just wanted to pay my respects and we are with you one thousand per cent, you are safe. We are with you 1,000 per cent. I wanted to call you and say hello, how are you?" Trump said. "Mr President, as the Governor of Guam, representative of Guam's people, and as an American citizen, I felt never more safe and confident with you at the helm," the Governor said with a smile. "Don't worry about a thing," Trump said. "I have to say, Eddie, you're going to become extremely famous. All over the world they're talking about Guam and talking about you," he said.