The United States says it will continue to work with China to calm tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner told reporters Tuesday that China has a unique relationship with North Korea. He said that Washington will continue to work with Beijing to urge North Korea to live up to its commitments, refrain from provocative actions, and to act responsibly.

But he declined to confirm U.S. media reports that Washington and Beijing agreed that the next step in terms of the North Korean situation should be dialogue between the two Koreas rather than the resumption of the six-way nuclear talks.