President Bush on Tuesday said there were still diplomatic options available to persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions without having to resort to a military strike. "It's either diplomacy or military. And I am for the diplomacy approach," Bush told reporters at a news conference in the White House Rose Garden. "And so for those who say that we ought to be using our military to solve the problem, I would say that while all options are on the table, we've got a ways to go to solve this diplomatically," he said. Bush said he was not going to give a timetable for when the diplomatic option might run out. "It's very important for our partners to understand that I believe the six-party talks can and will work."China, as an ally of North Korea, is viewed as pivotal to influencing Pyongyang. Some critics have questioned whether Beijing was exerting enough pressure on North Korea. "Sometimes people move a little slower than American society and the world, and, you know, sometimes expectations around the world are maybe different from ours," Bush said. "But fortunately, we've got everybody on the same page that says that the idea of North Korea having a nuclear weapon isn't good. And so it's a matter of continuing to send a message to Mr. Kim Jong-Il that if you want to be accepted by the neighborhood and be a part of those who are viewed with respect in the world, work with us to get rid of your nuclear weapons program."