The Secretary of State on Saturday disclosed that the United States was directly communicating with North Korea on its nuclear and missile programs. Mr Tillerson said, however, that Pyongyang had shown no interest in dialogue. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Saturday. Credit:AP The disclosure that the US had direct channels to North Korea underscored Mr Tillerson's role as a moderate within the administration. After starting his term with a swing through Asia where he said talks with Pyongyang wouldn't be productive, Mr Tillerson, on a one-day trip to Beijing, left the door open to negotiations. That's a stance that runs counter to what others in the US administration – including Mr Trump – have said.

"The first time I would have the opportunity to sit with the North Koreans it would be to say what do you want to talk about, because we haven't even got that far yet," Mr Tillerson told reporters in Beijing on Saturday. The US was in direct communication with the regime, he said, adding, "we can talk to them, we do talk to them." US and Chinese delegations, including US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and China's State Councillor Yang Jiechi, meet on Saturday in Beijing. Credit:AP The remarks – and Mr Trump's extraordinary intervention on Sunday – highlighted the divergent views within the US administration on how best to get Kim Jong-un to halt his nuclear ambitions. While some have left the door open to military action against the regime, others have warned that could set off a potentially devastating conflict in Asia. At the same time, increased sanctions and diplomatic pressure have done little to force North Korea to alter course.

Great expectations: US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and China's President Xi Jinping meet the press. Credit:AP Mr Trump tweeted in August that "talking is not the answer," while America's United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley said that the time for dialogue was over and that she would "have no problem kicking it to" Defence Secretary Jim Mattis to sort. Among senior cabinet officials, Mr Tillerson's aversion to such language is shared only by General Mattis, who said "we're never out of diplomatic solutions" when he was asked about Mr Trump's August tweet. Mr Tillerson is a chief architect of the administration's "peaceful pressure campaign," an initiative that seeks to use UN Security Council sanctions to try and choke North Korea's economy while pressing countries to stop accepting North Korean guest workers and close the regime's diplomatic outposts. While Mr Tillerson's latest remarks in Beijing appeared tailored for a Chinese audience.

One goal of his trip to Beijing, where he spent less than 12 hours on the ground, appeared to be pressing China, North Korea's chief financial backer, to bring the North Korean leader to the negotiating table. While Mr Tillerson and Chinese leaders didn't mention North Korea in public remarks, he did raise the issue behind closed doors, according to a senior State Department official who asked not to be identified. In a meeting with Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Mr Tillerson said "we are still waiting" for North Korea to show it's ready to have a serious conversation about denuclearisation, the official said. Shi Yongming, an associate research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, which is affiliated with China's Foreign Ministry, said Mr Tillerson's remarks about direct channels to Pyongyang were "positive news." "At present it's an impasse, neither the US nor North Korea dares to initiate a war despite fierce rhetoric," he said.

"So whoever first offers to talk will have an advantageous position. Not only the moral ground, but also in a better position to guide negotiations. It's wise for the Americans to openly acknowledge direct talks with the North." The war of words has escalated between Washington and Pyongyang in recent weeks, with Mr Trump labelling the North Korean dictator "Rocket Man" during his first speech to the UN, adding that the US would "totally destroy" North Korea if it attacks. The North Korean leader responded by calling Mr Trump a "dotard" and warning of the "highest level of hard-line countermeasure in history." Still, Mr Tillerson said the most important thing is to ease the rhetoric. He didn't directly respond to a question on whether Mr Trump should tone down his comments. Loading "The whole situation is a bit overheated right now," he said. "Everyone would like for it to calm down. Obviously it would help for North Korea to stop firing off missiles. That would calm things down a lot."

Reuters, Bloomberg