China warned North Korea of sanctions after any nuclear test: Rex Tillerson

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US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says China is threatening North Korea with unilateral sanctions should Pyongyang carry out another nuclear test.
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US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (second from right) at a lunch with US President Donald Trump, April 27, 2017. PHOTO: AFP

WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - China has told the United States that it warned Pyongyang it would impose "sanctions actions on their own" against North Korea should it carry out another nuclear test, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Thursday (April 27).

Tillerson, speaking on Fox News, also said US intelligence reports suggest that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was "not crazy," indicating he might be a rational actor who could be negotiated with as the international community seeks to rein in Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programmes.

Tillerson's comments suggest that efforts by President Donald Trump, who held a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier this month, may have yielded China's toughest threat yet to take action against its defiant neighbour and ally, North Korea.

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