Trump tweets Kim on denuclearisation, criticises China

WASHINGTON: Following the rebuff of his secretary of state in Pyongyang, United States President Donald Trump has sent a semithreatening message to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to live up to their denuclearisation agreement.

‘‘I have confidence that Kim Jong Un will honor the contract we signed &, even more importantly, our handshake,’’ Trump tweeted.

‘‘We agreed to the denuclearisation of North Korea. China, on the other hand, may be exerting negative pressure on a deal because of our posture on Chinese Trade — Hope Not!’’

The tweet came after the chilly reception Secretary of State Mike Pompeo received at the weekend in North Korea, prompting worries that talks about North Korea’s nuclear weapons are falling apart.

Pompeo wanted the North Koreans to commit to specific steps toward denuclearising, but Kim refused to meet Trump’s top diplomat.

The North Koreans accused the Trump Administration of making ‘‘unilateral’’ demands with a ‘‘gangsterlike mindset’’.

Pompeo brushed aside North Korean rhetoric, telling reporters, ‘‘We had detailed, substantive conversations about the next steps toward a fully verified and complete denuclearisation.’’

Critics of Trump said the document Trump and Kim signed during their June 12 summit in Singapore was not a contract, but a very general commitment.

‘‘There was no contract. No agreement,’’ tweeted David Rothkopf, a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

‘‘The handshake was meaningless. Prediction: We will have lies then recriminations & then tensions again.’’

Some US politicians blamed China for North Korea’s renewed aggressive attitude, describing it as Chinese pushback for its trade dispute with the US president.