Should North Korea perform a nuclear test, the United States will need to take certain "more defensive" measures, according to President Joe Biden on Monday.
The US leader noted that he has also urged Chinese President Xi Jinping to try to stop North Korea from taking further aggressive acts, stressing that any defensive measures taken by the US would be "up in China's face."
Biden Warns North Korea on Nuclear Test
The press conference took place in Bali, Indonesia, where Biden met with Xi Jinping for the first time since assuming office at the beginning of last year, The Korea Herald reported. According to past reports, if North Korea performs a nuclear test, the US will have to strengthen its military presence in the Indo-Pacific region.
"The biggest concern I have is a misunderstanding about intentions or actions on each of our parts," said Biden, adding that he has also conveyed to his Chinese colleague that such moves will not be directed at China but rather North Korea.
The North looks to have finished all of its preparations for what will be its seventh nuclear test, according to Seoul and Washington, and it may conduct the test at any time.
Following a string of recent North Korean missile launches, such a judgment was made. Since September 25, Pyongyang has launched more than 40 missiles, including 23 missiles of various sorts on November 2. The obstinate nation has launched 60 ballistic missiles since the year's start, including seven intercontinental ballistic missiles.
To the dismay of Pyongyang and ruler Kim Jong Un, the US has a sizable military presence in South Korea and conducts joint exercises with allies in the area, according to The Washington Times.
Recently, North Korea has begun testing missiles quickly, raising concerns that it may resume nuclear testing. Beijing is the closest thing the Pyongyang administration has to an international ally, despite the fact that it is notoriously secretive.
Biden's first face-to-face encounter with Xi Jinping since assuming office was months in the making, and he said he did not think that escalating tensions with China have turned into a new "cold war."
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US Leader to Visit China
Per AOL, it happened during a gathering of the Group of 20, whose members make up nearly 80% of the global economy. According to a readout of the discussion given by the White House, the two leaders looked for areas of agreement.
They decided that Secretary of State Anthony Blinken would visit China to continue the conversation as America's top diplomat. Biden told the Chinese leader that he wants to cooperate with China to advance global climate mitigation, fight hunger worldwide, and enhance public health.
According to the US statement, senior officials from both sides will contact to advance these and other matters. The most significant bilateral relationship in the world was tense when the two leaders entered the meeting.
The US believes China, the North's largest trading partner, should use its influence to put pressure on Kim Jong Un to back off as North Korea has been ramping up missile testing, shooting almost two dozen in a single day this month.
Meanwhile, military drills by China close to Taiwan have sparked worries about a possible invasion of the independent island, which China claims is a part of its territory. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan in August infuriated China, which led to a protracted series of drills.
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