The US is considering the possibility of negotiations with North Korea.

The US Secretary of State said today that Washington is assessing whether Pyongyang is willing to talk about giving up its nuclear program.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (left) met with Chinese President Xi Jinping today at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Photo: Reuters

The United States has opened dialogue channels with North Korea and is considering whether Pyongyang is ready to engage in discussions on giving up its nuclear weapons program, AFP quoted US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson as saying.

"We're investigating, so we'll see," Mr. Tillerson told reporters after meeting with Chinese officials in Beijing. "We asked. We have lines of communication with Pyongyang. We're not going into a dark place, cutting off communication, we still have two or three channels open with Pyongyang."

The US Secretary of State is visiting China. The visit takes place in the context of relations between Washington and Beijing showing signs of improvement after months of tension due to disagreements related to measures to restrain North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.

Earlier in the day, Mr. Tillerson met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, State Councilor Yang Jiechi, and Chinese President Xi Jinping. During the meeting with Mr. Wang, Mr. Tillerson said that US President Donald Trump "is looking forward" to his visit to China, scheduled to take place in November.

According to VNE