US hits at China

Kim fires new missile

US President Donald Trump has criticised North Korean leader Kim Jong-un after that country’s latest missile launch, saying, “Does this guy have anything better to do with his life?”

Mr Trump urged North Korea’s biggest ally, China, to “put a heavy move on North Korea and end this nonsense once and for all!”

South Korean officials said yesterday North Korea had launched another ballistic missile toward Japan, part of a string of recent test-firings as the North works to build a nuclear-tipped missile that could reach the US.

The Defence Department said US Pacific Command detected and tracked the launch of a land-based, intermediate range ballistic missile from North Korea’s Panghyon Airfield.

The missile was tracked for 37 minutes and landed in the Sea of Japan.

The White House said Mr Trump had been briefed on the South Korean report.

The missile launch comes as the Trump administration has displayed increasing frus- tration with China’s reluctance to put more pressure on North Korea.

Last week, it blacklisted a Chinese bank over its business ties with North Korea.

The White House said Mr Trump brought up the North Korean missile program in a phone call Sunday with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Chinese state media reported Mr Xi warned him “some negative factors” were hurting US-China relations.

The New York Times, citing anonymous administration officials, reported Monday that Mr Trump told Mr Xi the US was ready to act on its own against North Korea.

A senior US official told foreign policy experts last week the US had made clear to China that Chinese banks and companies doing business with Pyongyang would face sanctions if there was no movement on North Korea’s nuclear activities, a participant in the meeting said.

The individual was not authorised to speak on the matter and asked his name and that of the official be withheld.