China does ‘nothing’ to thwart North Korea’s nuclear quest: Donald Trump
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has accused China of doing nothing on North Korea and said he was “very disappointed” with Beijing, a day after Pyongyang launched an intercontinental ballistic missile test.
Trump also said he will no longer allow North Korea to continue with its belligerent behaviour.
“I am very disappointed in China. Our foolish past leaders have allowed them to make hundreds of billions of dollars a year in trade, yet they do NOTHING for us with North Korea, just talk,” Trump said in two tweets on Saturday.
On Friday, North Korea fired a new intercontinental ballistic missile that experts say has the potential to reach the US mainland.
“We will no longer allow this to continue. China could easily solve this problem!” said the US President, expressing his deep disappointment over Chinese inaction while North Korea continues with its ballistic missile tests and going ahead with its nuclear weapons programme.
Meanwhile, in response to North Korea’s ballistic missile and nuclear programmes, two US Air Force B-1B bombers under the command of US Pacific Air Forces, joined their counterparts from South Korea and Japanese air forces in a sequenced bilateral missions July 29.
This mission is in direct response to North Korea’s escalatory launch of intercontinental ballistic missiles on July 3 and July 28, the US Pacific Command said. “North Korea remains the most urgent threat to regional stability,” said Gen Terrence J O’shaughnessy, Pacific Air Forces commander.
“Diplomacy remains the lead; however, we have a responsibility to our allies and our nation to showcase our unwavering commitment while planning for the worstcase scenario. “If called upon, we are ready to respond with rapid, lethal and overwhelming force at a time and place of our choosing,” he said. After taking off from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, the B-1s flew to Japanese airspace, where they were joined by two Koku Jieitai (Japan Air Self Defence Force) F-2 fighter jets.
The B-1s then flew over the Korean Peninsula where they were joined by four Republic of Korea Air Force F-15 fighter jets. The B-1s then performed a low-pass over Osan Air Base, South Korea, before leaving South Korean airspace and returning to Guam.
Throughout the approximately 10-hour mission, the aircrews practiced intercept and formation training, enabling them to improve their combined capabilities and tactical skills, while also strengthening the long standing military- to-military relationships in the Indo-asia-pacific region, a media release said.
US Pacific Command maintains flexible bomber and fighter capabilities in the Indoasia-pacific theater. PYONGYANG: North Korea on Sunday warned that it would take action if the US continued to adhere to its present military policy and of imposing tough sanctions in response to Pyongyang’s second launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile.
The North Korean Foreign Ministry issued a statement through its state-run news agency KCNA, in which it defended Friday’s launch as a demonstration of the country’s military capabilities.
The test was “meant to send a stern warning to the US making senseless remarks”, and imposing “frantic sanctions and a pressure campaign against the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea)”, the statement read.
“The US trumpeting about war and threat to impose extreme sanctions on the DPRK only emboldens the latter and provides further justification for its access to nukes,” it added.
Earlier on Sunday, the US deployed B-1B strategic bombers near the Korean peninsula in response to North Korea’s ICBM launch on Friday.
Washington also deployed the bombers on June 20, following the announcement of the death of American student Otto Warmbier, who passed away after being returned to the US in a comatose state by North Korea, which had held him for 17 months.
It said that it will ask the UN Security Council to impose tougher sanctions against North Korea and work on unilateral sanctions in response to the missile test.
The Hwasong-14 missile fired by Pyongyang flew 998 km for about 47 minutes and reached a maximum altitude of 3,724.9 km before falling into the Sea of Japan. North Korea called the launch a success and said that it proved Pyongyang could strike any part of the US with the missile.
A pair of US supersonic bombers have flown over the Korean Peninsula, less than 48-hours after North Korea’s successfullytested an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)