North Korea is becoming a direct threat to the United States and could develop an inter-continental ballistic missile within five years, the US secretary of defence Robert Gates told reporters in Beijing on Tuesday following talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao.
Gates told reporters he did not believe North Korea would amass large numbers of the missiles, saying it would be a limited capability.
Hu will visit the United States next week, when President Barack Obama is expected to press him to exert more pressure on North Korea, which has alarmed the region by shelling a South Korean island and revealing advances in its nuclear programme.
China is North Korea's only major diplomatic and economic backer. Gates said it was "self-evident" that Obama and Hu would discuss North Korea.
