Warmbier's death looms over US-China talks on North Korea

President Donald Trump has been counting on China to use its economic leverage with Kim Jong Un's totalitarian government as American concern grows over North Korea's acceleration toward having a nuclear-tipped missile that can strike the U.S. mainland.

Top U.S. and Chinese diplomats and defense chiefs are meeting in the U.S. capital for security talks, and North Korea will get "top billing," according to Susan Thornton, the senior U.S. diplomat for East Asia.

Thornton said talks would cover the South China Sea, where Beijing's island-building and construction of possible military facilities have rattled neighbors and caused tension with Washington; U.S.-Chinese military cooperation to reduce risk of conflict; and efforts to defeat the Islamic State group.

The Trump administration is considering banning travel by U.S. citizens to North Korea, officials said Tuesday, and Trump declared Warmbier's treatment a "total disgrace."

North Korea hasn't conducted a nuclear test explosion as feared earlier this year — a possible consequence of Chinese pressure — but it has kept up its rapid pace of missile launches, drawing another U.N. Security Council resolution this month and additional sanctions.

Beijing, which wants resumed U.S. negotiations with North Korea, is hoping for "positive outcomes" from Wednesday's dialogue, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said.