U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Thursday that Washington and Beijing agreed on the “important urgency” of swiftly curbing North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, adding that they discussed “specific ways” to advance the goal of denuclearizing North Korea.

“The United States and China agreed on an important urgency of achieving a denuclearized, stable and prosperous Korean Peninsula, and we discussed specific ways in which we think can advance that goal,” Kerry told reporters as the two nations ended a two-day U.S.-China dialogue in Beijing.

North Korea is one of the topics that were discussed at the sixth U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue, along with a broad range of diplomatic, economic and international issues concerning the two countries.

“China shares the same strategic goal, and we discussed the importance of enforcing U.N. Security Council resolutions that impose sanctions on North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile program,” Kerry said.

However, Kerry said China needs to do more to reign in its unruly ally North Korea.

Kerry said China must play its “unique role” in persuading North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons program.

“We both understand that there’s more we can do in order to bring North Korea into compliance with its obligations to denuclearize,” Kerry said.

China’s top foreign-policy maker, State Councilor Yang Jiechi, said Washington and Beijing affirmed the “importance of realizing the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula through consultations.”

North Korea, which has conducted three nuclear tests since 2006 and threatened to conduct a “new form of nuclear test,” has repeatedly expressed willingness to reopen the six-party talks “without preconditions.”

Although South Korea and the U.S. have called on China to play a greater role in leading North Korea to demonstrate its commitment to denuclearize before any resumption of the nuclear talks, Beijing’s efforts have still been more accommodating toward North Korea. (Yonhap)