USA urging Southeast Asian countries to reduce ties with North Korea

Before the lunch, Tillerson met separately with Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Thursday urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to step up economic and diplomatic pressure on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), said a senior U.S. official.

Mr Tillerson called on Asean countries to fully implement United Nations sanctions on Pyongyang, which is working to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the U.S., and to show a united front on the issue, Mr Murphy said.

"We had a very good meeting: short, sharp and to the point", Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan told reporters.

That was the latest salvo in the Trump administration's push to get the worldwide community to intensify diplomatic and economic pressure on North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons program before it can pose a direct threat to the American mainland.

Last week, Mr Tillerson called on all countries to suspend or downgrade diplomatic ties with Pyongyang, saying that North Korea abuses diplomatic privileges to help fund its arms programmes.

Reports said all ASEAN members have diplomatic relations with North Korea and five have embassies there.

On the South China Sea, ASEAN has adopted a cautious approach recently toward China, with a weekend summit of its leaders avoiding references to Beijing's building and arming of islands there.

Diplomats say US pressure has caused some irritation in ASEAN, including Malaysia, which has maintained relations with Pyongyang in spite of the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's estranged half brother at Kuala Lumpur International airport in February.

"The South China Sea issue involves China and a few members of ASEAN", said Geng at a daily briefing, adding, "we hope that countries outside the region could respect efforts made by countries in the region for peace and stability in the South China Sea".

Singapore had no diplomatic mission in Pyongyang, so relations were already minimal - and the authorities would not tolerate North Korea using the country for illicit financial transactions, he said.

Acting Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo and his Southeast Asian counterparts on Thursday discussed the South China Sea dispute with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, reiterating the need for a peaceful resolution amid tensions wrought by China's persistent island-building and militarization activities in the waters.

"We also discussed the issue of South China Sea and both sides underscored the importance of the peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with the principles of worldwide law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos)", they added. "We strongly urge the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) to fully comply with its obligations arising from all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and worldwide laws", they said.

This coincided with moves by China and ASEAN to draft a framework to negotiate a code of conduct. "Our immediate concern is that the tension in the (Korean) peninsula does not increase, because the more it increases the more danger of some kind of miscalculation". Vice President Mike Pence visited Indonesia last month and said Trump will attend a regional summit in the Philippines this fall.