Fearing China syndrome
President Trump on Monday pointed a finger at China for North Korea’s harsh comments about negotiations with the United States, but said he still believes he can make a deal with the rogue regime.
“I have confidence that Kim Jong Un will honor the contract we signed &, even more importantly, our handshake. We agreed to the denuclearization of North Korea,” Trump tweeted.
He also raised an argument GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham (inset) made on Sunday that China may be encouraging Pyongyang to push back because it is involved in a titfor-tat trade war with the US.
“China, on the other hand, may be exerting negative pressure on a deal because of our posture on Chinese Trade - Hope Not!,” Trump said.
Trump and Kim agreed at their June 12 summit in Singapore that North Korea would commit to “work towards complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”
But the pact did not spell out how that would be accomplished and did not establish a timeline.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo traveled to Pyongyang last week for talks with North Korean officials to try to work out those details, meetings the regime later called “regrettable” while accusing the US of acting “gangster-like.”
Graham, of South Carolina, said he believes China is behind North Korea’s resistance.
“I see China’s hands all over this. We’re in a fight with China. We buy $500 billion worth of goods from the Chinese. They buy $100 billion from us. They cheat. President Trump wants to change the economic relationship with China,” Graham said on “Fox News Sunday.”
The US imposed 25 percent tariffs on $34 billion worth of Chinese goods last Friday.
China quickly responded by slapping 25 percent penalties on $34 billion worth of US goods.