U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping have agreed on the need to continue sanctions against North Korea until the North permanently dismantles its nuclear and missile programs. 

The White House said that Trump and Xi reached the agreement during a phone conversation on Tuesday. 

The two leaders also exchanged opinions on Xi's surprise summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Monday and Tuesday in the Chinese port city of Dalian. 

According to Chinese state media CCTV, Xi expressed his support for the upcoming Trump-Kim meeting, urging the U.S. and North Korea to build trust and take actions in stages and resolve issues through dialogue and negotiations. 

Xi also reportedly called on the U.S. to consider the North's reasonable security concerns, while expressing hope that China will play an active role in realizing the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and settling lasting peace in the region. 

During the recent summit, Xi and Kim reaffirmed the position that the denuclearization of the peninsula should be realized though "phased and simultaneous" steps.

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