US Vice-President Mike Pence has arrived at Admiralty House in Sydney for talks with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, with growing military tensions on the Korean peninsula expected to dominate his three-day visit to Australia.

Mr Pence flew into Sydney late yesterday accompanied by his wife and children, on the final stopover of his tour of key US allies in Asia.

At the start of bilateral talks in Sydney with Mr Turnbull on Saturday, Mr Pence said he and US President Donald Trump were keen to reaffirm America’s strong ties with Australia during his official two-day visit.

“I bring greetings this morning from president of the United States. I spoke with him first thing and he wanted me to pass along his very best regards,” Mr Pence said on Saturday.

“The president wanted me to be here early in this administration to reaffirm this strong, historic alliance between the United States of America and Australia.

“My presence here today at the president’s direction is about a reaffirmation of the strong ties in both our security and our prosperity,” he said.

Part of Mr Pence’s mission while in Australia is to smooth any ruffled feathers caused by Mr Trump who blasted Mr Turnbull over an asylum seeker settlement plan during their now notorious phone call shortly after Mr Trump’s inauguration in January.

He also met Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce and other senior ministers, including Qantas boss Alan Joyce for a lunch in the gardens of Admiralty House.

Mr Pence will end his day of official engagements by meeting Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and business leaders in the city.

PM says we have a “shared destiny” with US

In a joint press conference at 12pm on the front lawn at Admiralty House, Mr Turnbull said the nuclear threat from North Korea had dominated Malcolm Turnbull’s official talks with Mr Pence.

The Prime Minister told reporters in Sydney the “reckless and dangerous regime puts the peace and stability of our region at risk”.

Mr Turnbull said China has a leverage to influence North Korea.

“The eyes of the world are on Beijing,” Mr Turnbull said.

He also said Australia was in “absolute lockstep” and “totally united with a common purpose and a resolute intent to destroy the threat of terrorism” and would continue to work with the United States in “every field”.

“The relationship is a very deep, a very intimate one. Its carried by millions of Australians and Americans over a century,” he said.

In reply, Mr Pence told reporters the warm welcome was something he and his family would cherish for the rest of their lives.

He said President Trump would attend the ASEAN summit in Vietnman and the Philippines in November.

“I trust my visit here today…and the President’s plans to visit this region this Fall are a strong sign of our enduring commitment to this historic alliance,” he said.

He said Australia would always be a “close ally” of America and was “truly grateful” Mr Turnbull was calling on China over the North Korean threat.

“The President and I, in his words, have great confidence China will properly deal with North Korea. As President Trump made clear just a few days ago, if China is unable to deal with North Korea, the United States and our allies will.

When asked about the Nauru and Manus Island refugee swap deal, Mr Pence said he confirmed that the US would “honour the agreement”.

“We’ve initiated the process of fulfilling that agreement subject to the results of the vetting processes that now apply to all refugees in the United States,” he said.

Mr Turnbull thanked Mr Pence, saying “as I said to the President we thank you for honouring the commitment made by the President’s predecessor, the commitment to honour that deal is very important and is one that speaks volumes for the commitment and integrity of President Trump and your administration”.

Families meet for morning tea

Mr Pence, his wife Karen and their daughters Charlotte and Audrey had earlier joined Mr Turnbull and his wife Lucy and their family for a relaxed morning tea at neighbouring Kirribilli House on Sydney Harbour.

Mr Pence joked about how much his wife had enjoyed spending time with Mr Turnbull’s grandchildren.

“My wife was extremely impressed with your grandchildren, we don’t have any yet,” he said to laughs in the room.

Mr Turnbull said : “But she nursed little Alice so wonderfully. Daisy said she’d welcome her to take over babysitting.”

On Sunday Mr Pence and his family will have the opportunity to explore key Sydney landmarks, during a tour of the Harbour.

— with ABC/AAP