Kerry to press China over North Korea

Ahead of the visit, Mr Kerry said that a policy of denuclearisation shared by the US and China had to have "teeth".

Mr Kerry's four-day tour of Asia comes amid speculation that North Korea is preparing for a missile launch.

The US said there was no evidence North Korea could deploy a nuclear-armed missile, contradicting a leaked report.

North Korea has reportedly moved at least two Musudan ballistic missiles to its east coast.

A flurry of warlike statements from Pyongyang has prompted speculation that it might launch a missile - possibly on 15 April, when the country marks the 101st birthday of the nation's founder and former leader, Kim Il-sung, Kazinform has learnt from BBC News.

Since the UN imposed fresh sanctions on North Korea in February, its leadership has promised to restart a mothballed nuclear reactor, has shut an emergency military hotline to South Korea, and has urged diplomatic staff to leave, saying it cannot guarantee their safety.

The North says it has also been angered by joint US-South Korean military exercises.

Though North Korean rhetoric has been more bellicose than usual, analysts say it fits a long-standing pattern, and may be intended to boost the popularity of Kim Jong Un, who came to power last year.

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