US has open channels of communication with North Korea and is investigating whether the regime is ready to enter talks on giving up its nuclear weapons programme, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said yesterday. Tillerson's disclosure follows an escalating war of words between US President Donald Trump and North Korean strongman Kim Jong-Un. "We are probing, so stay tuned," he told reporters after talks with Chinese officials in Beijing. "We ask. We have lines of communication with Pyongyang. We are not in a dark situation, a blackout, we have a couple, three channels open to Pyongyang."

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (left) with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting in Beijing. Pics/AFP