Choke off terror: PM

Turnbull urges hip-pocket hit on Kim, Isis

ISLAMIC terrorism and how to control North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un will be the focus of talks when Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull meets leaders of the United States, Philippines and China today.

After a series of successful meetings at the APEC conference in Vietnam, Mr Turnbull will again meet US President Donald Trump for in-depth bilateral talks, before meeting Indian Prime Minister Naren- dra Modi, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.

Top of the agenda will be discussions on how to rein in North Korea’s rogue dictator and the spread of Islamic State terrorism in the region, particularly in the Philippines.

Last night, immediately after arriving in Manila, Mr Turnbull met controversial Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte to discuss the threat of terrorism. It is not known whether he raised the subject of Mr Duterte’s death squads, which have killed thousands of people in the Philippines since he won office last year.

“I will urge world leaders to implement meaningful, practical measures to bring North Korea to its senses and prevent the spread of terrorism,” Mr Turnbull said.

“A key focus of my advocacy at the East Asian Summit will be on preventing illicit financing that enables and sustains the criminal North Korean regime and Islamist terrorist groups. They use the money to spread their propaganda and fund their crimes.”

Mr Turnbull’s visit to Hong Kong was the first by an Australian Prime Minister since Bob Hawke in early in 1984.

After a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Vietnam, the Prime Minister was at pains to stress China was just as frustrated with North Korea’s conduct as Australia and the US were. But he said China needed to continue to tighten the economic sanctions on the rogue regime, and ensure that North Korea didn’t have access to funds sourced from territories such as Hong Kong. “If we cut their funding, we cut their capacity to hurt and harm. We must limit their funding to limit their reach,” Mr Turnbull said.

Mr Turnbull said there was only one suitable way of dealing with the rogue nation.

“The North Korean regime is a criminal regime,” he said.

“We’ve got to see it really as a criminal operation (and) they are constantly raising money to finance their nuclear program and it’s vitally important all of the … sanctions. are enforced.”