US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrived in Beijing on Saturday for talks on North Korea, Fox News reported.

Tillerson's visit followed his remarks in South Korea on Friday in which he warned that pre-emptive military action against North Korea might be necessary if the threat from their weapons program reaches a level "that we believe requires action."

China, the North's biggest source of diplomatic support and economic assistance, has yet to respond to his remarks, although Beijing has called repeatedly for steps to reduce tensions.

On Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a press conference "I am not going to get ahead of Secretary Tillerson's visit to China. What I want to point out is that, first and foremost, China has been fully, earnestly, faithfully and accurately implementing relevant UN Security Council resolutions. That is out of question."

"As a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a responsible member of the international community, China conscientiously observes its international obligations. Second, we are firmly opposed to unilateral sanctions imposed by one country in accordance with its domestic law on a third party and firmly against any attempt to undermine China's legitimate and lawful rights and interests with unilateral sanctions," the spokesperson said.

Source: MENA