“The North Koreans have done well,” Trump told reporters at the White House after a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. “They have met their obligations and we are now, I think, in a position where we will begin to see movement.”

Trump is seeking Beijing’s help to rein in Pyongyang, but Beijing has warned against dealing with the North Korean regime with the first two administrations’ “appeasement policy,” calling the country a nuclear threat and illegal weapons producer.

“I would like to see China work with us, not against us, on denuclearization,” he said. “They understand it better than anybody.

“What we are doing is encouraging and assisting the Chinese, whether it’s talking to them about trade or denuclearization.”

Trump is confident that China can help curb the North Korea threat and its provocative actions in the region, but he stressed that the U.S. is not looking to fully remove the regime.

“I don’t know if China has influence over North Korea. What I do know is that we are not looking to put our major military assets under threat in the foreseeable future, but that doesn’t mean we can’t continue to do what we need to do to protect our people,” Trump said.

His administration was still reviewing the costs and benefits of keeping an American facility in South Korea.

“What I have found with regards to the cost of maintaining South Korea is that it is a very expensive proposition,” Trump said. “But I do believe it is necessary.”

The Trump administration and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres plan to engage North Korea in upcoming summit meetings.

Lack of dialogue between Pyongyang and Washington as well as criticism from allies such as South Korea, the United States, Japan and others have caused some doubt over whether the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, can be dealt with without a substantial military response.