TRUMP CRITICIZES CHINA ON N. KOREA
‘So much for China working with us’: tweet
• Donald Trump criticized China Wednesday for failing to work with the United States to rein in North Korea, signalling a harder line in his approach to the rogue state’s nuclear ambitions.
Following North Korea’s test of an intercontinental ballistic missile ( ICBM) on Tuesday, an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, currently chaired by China, was held Wednesday night following a request by the U. S., South Korea and Japan.
The U. S. also carried out joint missile exercises with the South Korean military, demonstrating their ability to target the North Korean leadership in a precision strike.
Trump had fostered his relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a summit at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida retreat, in April and previously expressed confidence in China’s ability to rein in its neighbour.
But following the ICBM test, Trump expressed his frustration with China on Twitter. In a tweet Wednesday morning, the president questioned why the U. S. should continue what he sees as bad trade deals “with countries that do not help us.”
He also tweeted: “Trade between China and North Korea grew almost 40 per cent in the first quarter. So much for China working with us — but we had to give it a try!”
Trump, who departed for Europe early Wednesday, is scheduled to meet Xi on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Germany this week. The North Korean threat appears certain to hang over Trump’s trip, which opens in Poland. Trump is expected to use the trip to try to forge consensus with European Union partners, which could also put more financial pressure on North Korea.
North Korea conducts about 90 per cent of its trade through China. Trump’s comments appeared to refer to data released by Beijing in April that showed trade up 37.4 per cent in the first quarter compared with the same period in 2016.
In a phone call from Air Force One with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Trump urged all countries to “stop hosting North Korean guest workers, and stop providing economic or military benefits to North Korea,” the White House said. There are an estimated 50,000 North Korean workers abroad earning money for their government, with the vast majority in China and Russia.
On Tuesday, U.S. Independence Day, North Korea announced the successful test of its Hwasong-14 missile, which U. S. experts later said could put Alaska within reach of a nuclear strike.
The North Korean state news agency released pictures of leader Kim Jong-un grinning and punching the air as he “feasted his eyes” on the missile, which he declared “a gift to the American bastards.” Kim reportedly described the missile “as handsome as a good-looking boy” and the “final step” in his country’s nuclear ambitions, urging his scientists to keep sending “gift packages to the Yankees.” He also made clear North Korea’s determination to “demonstrate its mettle to the U. S.” and vowed never to negotiate over its nuclear weapons program.
Nikki Haley, the U. S. ambassador to the United Nations, called Pyongyang’s missile launch “a clear and sharp military escalation.” She said that while the U.S. is not seek- ing a military confrontation, military options are indeed on the table.
“Their actions are quickly closing off the possibility of a diplomatic solution,” she said.
China and Russia called on North Korea to halt missile tests and nuclear research in return for the U.S. and South Korea ceasing joint military drills, which they hold annually. But the U. S. and South Korea said they had fired two “deep strike” precision missiles into South Korean waters as a demonstration. The missiles can deliver a 500- pound warhead on to a target using satellite guidance, A spokesman for the South Korean Defence Ministry said the tests “showcased precision targeting of the enemy’s leadership in case of an emergency.” Footage released by the South Korean military showed a North Korean flag in flames.
Anthony Ruggiero, a North Korea expert at the Foundation for the Defence of Democracies, said the U. S. could try to prod Beijing to take a tougher line on North Korea by exploiting Chinese banks and other companies’ desire for access to the U.S. dollar.
“The administration can give them a choice: Do business with North Korea or have access to the U.S. financial system,” Ruggiero said.
The Trump administration signalled its willingness to take that approach last week when it announced it was blacklisting a small Chinese bank over dealings with North Korea.
China has long resisted intensifying economic pressure on neighbouring North Korea, in part out of fear of the instability that could mount on its doorstep, including the possibility of millions of North Koreans fleeing into China.