US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping spoke by telephone, the White House said Monday, amid an escalating crisis over North Korea's ballistic and nuclear weapons programs.

Trump is currently in New York for the United Nations General Assembly but Xi -- who has a major Communist Party congress that will cement his leadership for the next five years -- is not attending the event.

Officials had said prior to the call that North Korea was likely to be the major topic of discussion. Trump is expected to make his first presidential visit to China later this year.