Trump accuses China of undermining diplomacy with N. Korea

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday tried to make China the scapegoat for his stalled diplomacy with North Korea, accusing it of undermining the U.S.-led pressure campaign against Pyongyang because of an escalating trade dispute with the United States.

In a series of late-afternoon tweets, issued under the headline “Statement From the White House,” Trump said China was shipping “money, fuel, fertilizer and various other commodities” to North Korea.

“This is not helpful!” he added, consistently referring to himself in the third person.

Yet at the same time, Trump reaffirmed his decision in June to suspend joint military exercises with South Korea, saying they were costly and unnecessary, given his warm relationship with North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un.

While it was difficult to decipher the strategy behind the tweets, the president appeared in part to be trying to dial back remarks made by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who opened the door Tuesday to resuming the exercises.

A Defense Department official said news reports that interpreted Mattis’ remarks as contradictory to the president’s angered the White House.

On Wednesday, Mattis issued a statement seeking to clarify his initial remarks, but both that and Trump’s tweets caused just as much confusion, since Trump pointed out that he could restart the military exercises whenever he wanted.

Indeed, despite the officialsounding imprimatur on the tweets, they were as contradictory and factually dubious as some of his most off-the-cuff remarks.

He accused China of undermining his signature diplomatic initiative while reaffirming his strong “relationship and bond” with President Xi Jinping. He reiterated his “very good and warm” relationship with Kim, but left open the possibility of resuming military exercises.

“The President can instantly start the joint exercises again with South Korea, and Japan, if he so chooses,” Trump wrote, adding, “If he does, they will be far bigger than ever before.”

The tweets came five days after the president abruptly canceled a trip to Pyongyang by his secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, citing a lack of progress in negotiations.

North Korea is pushing the U.S. to endorse a declaration to end the Korean War, while the White House is demanding that Pyongyang declare a full inventory of its nuclear weapons and missiles — and to set a timetable for dismantling them. Neither side has budged, and the atmosphere among officials below Trump and Kim has become increasingly sour.