US, China Vow Nuclear-Free North Korea

The US is banking on China to help rein in North Korea, and public statements today suggest the plan is on track. Leaders from both nations said they are committed to finding a peaceful way to ensure a nuclear-free Korean peninsula. "We are determined to make that goal a reality," Secretary of State John Kerry said after talks with Chinese officials in Beijing and before having dinner with China's foreign policy chief, Yang Jiechi. Kerry said the two nations will discuss ways to "bear down very quickly" on tangible solutions.

China, meanwhile, is "firmly committed to upholding peace and stability and advancing the denuclearization process on the Korean peninsula," said Yang, adding that China will work with the US and other nations involved in past international talks on North Korea. Pyongyang hasn't issued any bellicose threats today, after putting Japan at the top of its hit list yesterday. (More North Korea stories.)