US warns China about North Korea

A report says US President Barack Obama warned his Chinese counterpart that Washington would redeploy forces in Asia if China did not rein in North Korea.

Obama first made the warning in a phone call to Hu Jintao last month and repeated it over a private dinner at the White House on Tuesday, urging Beijing to boost pressure on Pyongyang, The New York Times reported on Friday.

A senior White House official told the paper that the warning had persuaded China to take a harder stance on its ally and thus paved the way for the restart of negotiations between the Koreas.

South Korean government announced on Thursday that Seoul is ready to hold military talks with the North to ease tensions caused in the Peninsula by the deadly artillery exchange of fire in November that left four South Koreans dead.

Pyongyang said on Friday that North Korea is willing to kick off inter-Korean military talks in early February to specifically address November tensions.