U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping started their first meeting Thursday, focusing on ways to address the rising threat posed by North Korea's missile and nuclear weapons programs, as well as trade issues, including Washington's massive trade deficit with Beijing.
With North Korea launching yet another ballistic missile a day before the two-day summit at Trump's Mar-a-Lago retreat in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump hopes Xi will agree to increase pressure on Pyongyang by exercising Beijing's considerable economic leverage over its neighbor.
Trump said earlier Thursday that he thinks China "will be stepping up" its efforts to deter North Korean provocations. The U.S. leader has said that if Beijing does not pressure Pyongyang in addressing its nuclear ambitions, Washington will take unilateral action.