Asia held hostage by Kim’s fantasies: Don

Danang, Vietnam, Nov. 10: US President Donald Trump on Friday said that the Asia-Pacific region was being held hostage by the “twisted fantasies” of North Korean leader Kim Jongun, as he called on countries to stand united against Pyongyang.

“The future of this region and its beautiful people must not be held hostage to a dictator's twisted fantasies of violent conquest and nuclear blackmail,” he said during a speech in Vietnam to the annual Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) forum.

The region, he added, must “stand united in declaring that every single step the North Korean regime takes towards more weapons is a step it takes into greater and greater danger”.

The US administration thinks China’s economic leverage over North Korea is the key to strongarming Pyongyang into halting its nuclear weapons and missile programmes.

On Thursday, Trump was in Beijing meeting President Xi Jinping, where he called on China to “act fast” over North Korea.

Washington has also worked in recent months to convince allies across Asia to oppose Pyongyang, an issue that will remain prominent during his two-day trip to Vietnam, which is currently hosting a major regional summit.

The leaders of Japan, Russia, China and South Korea were also attending the Apec summit.