US President Donald Trump rejected suggestions that he had abandoned hope that Xi Jinping could help him deal with the North Korean nuclear threat, as he prepared to meet the Chinese president at the G20 summit in Hamburg.

Speaking before a dinner with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Moon Jae-in in Hamburg in the wake of North Korea’s long-range ballistic missile test this week, Mr Trump on Thursday said “never give up” when asked whether he no longer placed any faith in the Chinese leader.

The comments appeared to contradict previous remarks where he said China had failed to put sufficient pressure on North Korea to change the direction of Kim Jong Un’s regime, which has conducted regular missile tests and this week demonstrated the potential capability to strike Alaska. Before leaving Washington for Poland and Hamburg, Mr Trump tweeted: “Trade between China and North Korea grew almost 40% in the first quarter. So much for China working with us — but we had to give it a try!”