US Secretary of State John Kerry told Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday that “the world is facing a critical time", citing tensions on the Korean peninsula, Iran’s nuclear program and the conflict in Syria.

US Secretary of State John Kerry told Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday that “the world is facing a critical time", citing tensions on the Korean peninsula, Iran's nuclear program and the conflict in Syria.

"Mr. President, this is obviously a critical time with some very challenging issues," Kerry told Xi in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

"Issues on the Korean peninsula, the challenge of Iran and nuclear weapons, Syria and the Middle East, and economies around the world that are in need of a
Boost,” Kerry said.

The US secretary of State had arrived from South Korea earlier to press Beijing, North Korea’s major ally, to help defuse nuclear tensions on the Korean peninsula ahead of an expected missile launch by the North.

In contrast, the Chinese president did not refer to the issued raised by Kerry, but rather stated that US-China relationship was "at a new historical stage and has got off to a good start".