The United States is exploring whether North Korea is interested in dialogue and has multiple direct channels of communication with Pyongyang, the US secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, said on Saturday.

The disclosure came as Tillerson expressed hope for reducing tensions with North Korea, which is fast advancing toward its goal of developing a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the US mainland.

Donald Trump has said he will never allow that to happen.

“We are probing, so stay tuned,” Tillerson told a small group of reporters during a trip to China, Reuters reported. “We ask: ‘Would you like to talk?’”

He then said the United States had “a couple of, three channels open to Pyongyang”.

“We can talk to them. We do talk to them,” he said, without elaborating.

Tillerson’s remarks followed a day of meetings in Beijing, which has been alarmed by recent exchanges of war-like threats and personal insults between the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, and Trump.



“I think the whole situation’s a bit overheated right now,” Tillerson said. “I think everyone would like for it to calm down. “Obviously it would help if North Korea would stop firing off missiles. That’d calm things down a lot.”

South Korean officials have voiced concerns that North Korea could conduct more provocative acts near the anniversary of the founding of its communist party on 10 October, or possibly when China holds its Communist party congress on 18 October.

Trump has been pressing for tougher measures on Pyongyang from China, the North’s chief trading partner and source of aid and diplomatic support. Although adamantly opposed to steps that could bring down Kim’s regime, Beijing appears increasingly willing to tighten the screws on Pyongyang, and agreed to tough new United Nations sanctions that would substantially cut foreign revenue for the isolated North.



Tillerson reiterated on Saturday that the US would not recognize North Korea as a nuclear power, but said it also had no intention of overthrowing Kim’s regime.

In opening remarks at his meeting with Xi, Tillerson said relations between the sides continue to “grow and mature on the strength of the relationship between yourself and President Trump”, the Associated Press reported. “And we look forward to advancing that relationship at the upcoming summit,” Tillerson said, referring to Trump’s first state visit to Beijing expected in November.

Saying he had “a good working relationship and personal friendship” with Trump, Xi said the president’s upcoming visit offered “an important opportunity for the further development of China-US relations.” The exchange, he said, would be a “special, wonderful and successful one”.

Earlier, Tillerson told top Chinese foreign policy adviser Yang Jiechi that a strong relationship between Trump and Xi boded well for dealing with political and economic differences between the two countries.



“Our two presidents have developed a very regular and close working relationship,” Tillerson said.