Pence tells reporters near the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Korea that President Donald Trump is hopeful that China will use their "extraordinary levers" to pressure the North to abandon their weapons.
The regime followed that - according to USA and South Korean officials - with an attempted missile test Sunday from the eastern port of Sinpo. The center is first to detect whenever North Korea launches a missile.
Vice President Mike Pence is opening his trip to the Asia-Pacific region amid increasing tensions in North Korea over the regime's nuclear and missile programs.
The Trump administration has touted some successes on that front in the past week, including the suspension of coal shipments from North Korea to China.
A New York Times story in March reported on a U.S.operation created to disrupt North Korea's nuclear missile program. A second USA official said the launch was land-based.
Trump, who has proved to be unpredictable on foreign policy, has responded to the recent concerns over North Korea with a swagger that suggests a new, tougher stance.
Tensions in the region had been running high amid expectations of a nuclear test or a missile launch, with President Trump vowing to "properly deal with" North Korea if China would not. A day later, the Global Times noted that the attack on Syria made it impossible to dismiss the possibility of a USA strike on North Korea. Others believe that North Korea and the United States were always going to reach this stage as long as Pyongyang was forging ahead with its weapons program.
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North Korea has a habit of firing off missiles to mark major political anniversaries, or as gestures of defiance to top USA officials visiting the region.
The failed launch from North Korea's east coast, ignoring repeated admonitions from major ally China, came a day after North Korea held a grand military parade in its capital, marking the birth anniversary of the state founder, displaying what appeared to be new long-range ballistic missiles.
In a statement made alongside South Korean Acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn, Pence said that "North Korea would do well not to test his resolve". "But at every step of the way, North Korea answered our overtures with willful deception, broken promises and nuclear and missile tests".
China also made a plea for a return to negotiations, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang saying Beijing wants to resume the talks that ended in stalemate in 2009.
He said plans to deploy a US missile defense system in South Korea were damaging its relations with China.
More directly on North Korea, the president returned to a theme of placing much onus on China for reining in the North. The big question, however, is how China will respond if either the USA or North Korea fires that first shot. Second, North Korea can not be allowed to "descend into the kind of turbulence that generates a huge outpouring of refugees", the editorial said, adding that China will also not allow "a hostile government" in Pyongyang. "China, however, has made no indication whether or not that support would be there if the USA attacked first".
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