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 channels of dialogue 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 looking into it, so we'll see," Tillerson told reporters after meeting with Chinese officials in Beijing. "We asked. We have lines of communication with Pyongyang. We're not going dark, cutting off communications, we're keeping two or three channels open with Pyongyang."

The US Secretary of State is visiting China. The visit comes amid signs of improving relations between Washington and Beijing after months of tensions over disagreements over measures to curb 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 for November.

According to VNE