Kerry to press China to rein in Pyongyang

Beijing (AFP): US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Beijing on Saturday to seek China's help to rein in a belligerent North Korea and provide a foundation for Seoul to lower soaring tensions with Pyongyang. Kerry flew to the Chinese capital from South Korea where he held talks Friday with President Park Geun-Hye and offered public US support to her plans for initiating some trust-building with the North. Despite intelligence reports that the North has prepared what would be a highly-provocative, medium-range missile launch, Kerry made it clear that reducing tensions would require cooperation from all sides, and in particular China, whose trade and aid have propped up its ally North Korea since the end of the Cold War. "China has an enormous ability to help make a difference here, and I hope that in our conversations when I get there that we'll be able to lay out a path ahead that can defuse this tension," Kerry said.