US doubts NK denuclearisation
WASHINGTON/BAGRAM, Afghanistan President Donald Trump suggested on Monday that China might be seeking to derail US efforts aimed at denuclearising North Korea, but said he was confident that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un would uphold a pact the two agreed last month.
In his first remarks about challenging diplomatic talks held at the weekend that sowed fresh doubts over North Koreas willingness to give up its nuclear arsenal, Trump said China may be exerting negative pressure in reaction to punitive US tariffs on Chinese goods.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reported progress from the first high-level talks since Trump and Kim met in Singapore, although he said a hard road lies ahead North Korea accused him of gangster-like diplomacy after he left Pyongyang.
Following the June 12 TrumpKim summit in which Kim made a broad agreement to work toward denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, Trump went on to say that North Korea was no longer a nuclear threat, even though no details were announced.
Pompeo went to Pyongyang aiming to fill in details of the agreement. On Monday, he said there were many hours of negotiations left.
Now is the time for all of us, the State Department and others
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reported progress from the first high-level talks since Trump and Kim met in Singapore, although he said a hard road lies ahead North Korea accused him of gangster-like diplomacy after he left Pyongyang.
to deliver, to implement the agreement between President Trump and Chairman Kim, Pompeo told NATO troops at the end of a visit to Afghanistan.
To think this would happen in the course of a handful of hours would have been ludicrous, Pompeo said.
The post-summit statements did not say how or when the reclusive state would dismantle its nuclear missile programme that is believed to be capable of hitting the US.
Leaked US intelligence findings have concluded that North Korea does not intend to give up its nuclear programme completely.
A Twitter post by Trump in which he suggested that China might be spoiling North Korea talks was another twist in his rollercoaster approach to Beijing, a mix of praise and criticism, diplomatic outreach and outright aggression.
I have confidence that Kim Jong Un will honour the contract we signed and, even more importantly, our handshake. We agreed to the denuclearisation of North Korea, Trump said.
China, on the other hand, may be exerting negative pressure on a deal because of our posture on Chinese Trade-Hope Not!
In Beijing yesterday, when asked about Trumps comments, foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said, First, Chinas position on the Korean peninsula issue is consistent. Second, Chinas attitude on the China-US trade issue is clear. Third, China is a trustworthy and responsible power.
She did not elaborate.
The administration worked for months to win Chinas support for its maximum pressure campaign of sanctions to isolate North Korea, which does most of its international trade with the Chinese.
While trying to keep the Chinese on board for North Korea negotiations, Trump took a tough stance on trade with China, slapping tariffs last week on US$34 billion in Chinese exports to the US, prompting retaliation in kind from Beijing. REUTERS