All eyes on North Korea
Trump calls out China on eve of G20 summit
WASHINGTON — 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.
In the wake of 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 Florida summit 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, Trump 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 left for Europe Wednesday, is scheduled to meet Jinping on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Germany.
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.”
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 seeking a military confrontation, military options are on the table.
— The Daily Telegraph, with files from The Associated Press