Ahead of North Korea’s expected testing of a long-range missile, President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jingping agreed in a phone call Friday that “they will not accept North Korea as a nuclear weapon state,” the White House said.
The White House called North Korea’s planned action a “nuclear test,” and said Mr. Obama and Mr. Xi “reaffirmed their commitment to the complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.”
The two leaders “agreed that North Korea’s planned ballistic missile test would contravene multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions and represent another provocative and destabilizing action.” The White House said the test is expected to take place Saturday.
The U.S. Navy has positioned a guided-missile destroyer, equipped with the latest anti-ballistic missile defense technology, to shoot down the missile if it poses a threat to the U.S.
North Korea has notified the U.N. that it will launch an observation “satellite” sometime between Feb 8-25.
Pyongyang detonated a nuclear device underground on Jan. 6. North Korea said it was a hydrogen bomb, but independent experts cast doubt on the claim.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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