China and Russia have begun military drills near North Korea in the latest show of force in the region.

The naval exercises – the second between the two powers this year – are reported to be taking place near Russia’s far eastern port of Vladivostok.

US and South Korean forces are also staging joint air operations in the Korean peninsula.

The flurry of military drills comes ahead of a UN General Assembly meeting on Tuesday where Pyongyang’s atomic ambitions are expected to loom large.

Beijing and Moscow have repeatedly called for a peaceful solution and talks to resolve the North’s nuclear programme.

On Friday, Kim Jong-uns reclusive regime fired another mid-range ballistic missile over Japan.

That came less than two weeks after it conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test.

Over the weekend US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said the United Nations Security-Council had run out of options on containing Pyongyang’s atomic programme, warning that Washington might have to turn the matter over to the Pentagon.