North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during a ceremony to award party and state commendations to nuclear scientists, technicians, soldier-builders, workers and officials for their contribution to what North Korea said was a successful hydrogen bomb test, at the meeting hall of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) in this undated photo released January 13, 2016. REUTERS/KCNA

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States plans to use upcoming talks with top Chinese officials to discuss ways to bring greater pressure to bear on North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions, a senior U.S. official said on Tuesday.

“The outcome that we’re looking for is North Korean agreement to negotiate the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel told reporters.

“We have a vastly improved chance of getting that with China’s full cooperation, and we intend to use the (U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue) to game out how we can speed up the outcome that we’re both working to achieve,” he said.