Washington : US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that military action was not the “first choice” of his administration on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.

On his way to participate in a tax reform event, Trump told reporters that military action against North Korea was “not a first choice, but we will see what happens”, Xinhua news agency reported.

In a related development, the White House said on Wednesday that Trump spoke with British and Australian leaders by phone regarding the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula.

The White House said that in his discussion with British Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday, Trump stressed that now is not the time to talk to North Korea, and made clear that all options remain open to defend the US and its allies.

Speaking with Australia’s Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, the leaders confirmed that their two countries will intensify joint efforts to denuclearize the DPRK, said a statement by the White House.

North Korea on Sunday detonated a hydrogen bomb that can be carried by an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), North Korea’s Central Television announced. North Korea’s nuclear testing and launches using ballistic missile technology have violated UN Security Council resolutions.

China’s permanent representative to the UN Liu Jieyi on Monday condemned the latest nuclear test by North Korea and urged the country to return to the track of dialogue. China will not allow chaos and war on the Korean Peninsula, he said.

Liu said the suspension-for-suspension proposal and dual-track approach put forward by China together with the Russian proposal of a step-by-step approach is a realistic and feasible roadmap for the settlement of the issue.

—IANS