The speaker of the United States House of Representatives says he pressed Chinese President Hu Jintao on North Korea during a meeting they held in Washington on Thursday.

After the meeting, House Speaker John Boehner said in a statement Thursday that China is now the United States’ second largest trading partner and will undoubtedly be a critical economic partner in the future. He said that due to this, it is important that the two countries continue to resolve their differences in ways that benefit both of their countries and their people.

He said their meeting addressed some of these challenges, including curtailing the aggressive behavior of North Korea and the need for stronger intellectual property protections in China.

Multiple senators, including Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry, also reportedly held private talks with Hu and conveyed Congress’ stance on key issues.