U.S., China offer few remarks on North Korea missile test

April 5 (UPI) -- China and the United States issued relatively low-key responses in the wake of North Korea's latest test of a ballistic missile, a launch that likely ended in failure, according to officials.

U.S. State Secretary Rex Tillerson said little about the latest launch late Tuesday in a brief statement.

"North Korea launched yet another intermediate range ballistic missile. The United States has spoken enough about North Korea. We have no further comment," the statement from Tillerson read.

The brevity of the secretary's remarks is drawing concerns because of the Trump administration's tough approach to Pyongyang.

Ahead of his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, President Donald Trump had said in an interview with the Financial Times the United States is willing to go it alone if China does not exert more pressure on relatively isolated Pyongyang.

"China has great influence over North Korea," Trump said. "And China will either decide to help us with North Korea, or they won't...If China is not going to solve North Korea, we will. That is all I am telling you."

The commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, however, has said China has to be involved in "any solution to the North Korean problem."

Chinese state media reported the launch of what is most likely a KN-15 medium-range ballistic missile, but did not issue editorials or position statements on the latest provocation.

Xi had recently concluded a state visit to Finland ahead of his summit with Trump.

In South Korea, a spokesman for a centrist presidential candidate who clinched his party's nomination said the latest missile launch is a North Korea effort to "ruin the U.S.-China summit."

Candidate Ahn Cheol-soo has begun to surge in the polls and may be gaining against progressive candidate Moon Jae-in, the leading popular candidate.

In Japan, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called the test a "serious" provocation that runs counter to international law.