Speaking at Georgetown University in Washington, Rice stressed the importance of cooperating with China, including on confronting the threat posed by North Korea, which relies heavily on its economic ties with China.
North Korea conducted an atomic test in February and this summer reportedly restarted a plutonium reactor. But with prodding from Beijing, the North has since said it wants to resume, without preconditions, international aid-for-disarmament negotiations it pulled out of five years ago.
Rice said rolling back the threat posed by North Korea is a priority, and the U.S. is open to credible negotiations that get at the entirety of the North's nuclear program. But she added that for Pyongyang to engage in dialogue while keeping critical elements of the program running is unacceptable.
"We will continue to join with international partners, especially China, to increase pressure on North Korea to denuclearize," Rice said, warning that the U.S. would "maintain and expand, as necessary," bilateral and multilateral sanctions.
"There will continue to be significant costs to future provocations," she said.
