President says he would take unilateral action to blunt North Korea threat if China doesn’t take steps to do so
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| U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Mar-a-Lago estate in West Palm Beach, Florida, on April 7. |
WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he would take unilateral action to blunt the threat of North Korea if China doesn’t take steps to do so, a new warning that comes as a U.S. aircraft carrier makes its way toward the western Pacific.
Mr. Trump also linked the U.S. demand for China’s help on North Korea to trade negotiations between Washington and Beijing.
Writing on Twitter, Mr. Trump said he had explained to Chinese President Xi Jinping during their meetings in Florida last week “that a trade deal with the U.S. will be far better for them if they solve the North Korean problem!”
Mr. Trump’s comments come as North Korea is expected to conduct another missile test launch to mark the anniversary of the birth of the country’s founder on April 15.
Mr. Trump’s decision to launch airstrikes against a Syrian air base last week, in response to the Assad regime’s suspected use of chemical weapons in the conflict there, was meant to send a signal to China and North Korea of his willingness to use force, according to administration officials.
Meanwhile, South Korean officials on Tuesday sought to tamp down concerns over the possibility of a pre-emptive U.S. military strike on North Korea.
“Be careful not to be fooled by exaggerations about the security situation on the Korean Peninsula,” Moon Sang-gyun, a spokesman for South Korea’s Ministry of Defense, said.
The remarks came a day after a spokesman for the South Korean Ministry of Unification said that Washington had signaled its support for Seoul’s pursuit of peaceful Korean unification.
Mr. Trump also linked the U.S. demand for China’s help on North Korea to trade negotiations between Washington and Beijing.
Writing on Twitter, Mr. Trump said he had explained to Chinese President Xi Jinping during their meetings in Florida last week “that a trade deal with the U.S. will be far better for them if they solve the North Korean problem!”
“North Korea is looking for trouble,” Mr. Trump wrote. “If China decides to help, that would be great. If not, we will solve the problem without them! U.S.A.”
Mr. Trump’s decision to launch airstrikes against a Syrian air base last week, in response to the Assad regime’s suspected use of chemical weapons in the conflict there, was meant to send a signal to China and North Korea of his willingness to use force, according to administration officials.
Meanwhile, South Korean officials on Tuesday sought to tamp down concerns over the possibility of a pre-emptive U.S. military strike on North Korea.
“Be careful not to be fooled by exaggerations about the security situation on the Korean Peninsula,” Moon Sang-gyun, a spokesman for South Korea’s Ministry of Defense, said.
The remarks came a day after a spokesman for the South Korean Ministry of Unification said that Washington had signaled its support for Seoul’s pursuit of peaceful Korean unification.
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| The USS Carl Vinson in the Pacific Ocean in January. The U.S. Navy has canceled planned port calls in Australia for the Vinson and sent the aircraft carrier toward the Korean Peninsula. |
Over the weekend, top Trump administration officials strengthened their warning to North Korea, with National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster saying the president has ordered him to prepare “a full range of options” for North Korea. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson outlined the administration’s approach toward Syria following U.S. airstrikes there last week in comments that also appeared aimed at other countries.
“If you violate international agreements, if you fail to live up to commitments, if you become a threat to others, at some point a response is likely to be undertaken,” he said on ABC’s “This Week.”
The new warning comes as the USS Carl Vinson and its strike group nears the Korean Peninsula after it was redirected there because of threats of North Korean weapons tests. The Vinson is traveling with other ships including two guided-missile destroyers.
The deployment of the Vinson has prompted a stream of counterthreats by North Korea to answer any U.S. attack.
On Tuesday, a spokesman for North Korea’s Foreign Ministry said the country was “unfazed” by the prospect of any U.S. military action, despite the deployment of the aircraft carrier.
“We will hold the U.S. wholly accountable for the catastrophic consequences to be entailed by its outrageous actions,” the spokesman said, according to Pyongyang’s Korean Central News Agency, warning that the country “is ready to react to any mode of war desired by the U.S.”
Rodong Sinmun, North Korea’s biggest newspaper, warned that the country, too, could launch a pre-emptive strike on the U.S. and warned the Trump administration to give up on any plans for such a strike.
Separately on Tuesday, North Korea and Syria reaffirmed their close ties as the two countries neared direct confrontations with the U.S.
North Korea and Syria are “conducting a war against big powers’ wild ambition to subject all countries to their expansionist and dominationist policy,” Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said in a message to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, according to a KCNA report published early Tuesday.
There has been speculation, based on satellite imagery and analysis, that North Korea might try to carry out another weapons test in the coming days as it prepares for the anniversary of the birth of the country’s founder, Kim Il Sung.
North Korea carried out three missile tests in the past month, including a midrange-missile launch on April 5 that triggered a terse response from the Trump administration.
“The United States has spoken enough about North Korea,” Mr. Tillerson said after that test. “We have no further comment.”
“If you violate international agreements, if you fail to live up to commitments, if you become a threat to others, at some point a response is likely to be undertaken,” he said on ABC’s “This Week.”
The new warning comes as the USS Carl Vinson and its strike group nears the Korean Peninsula after it was redirected there because of threats of North Korean weapons tests. The Vinson is traveling with other ships including two guided-missile destroyers.
The deployment of the Vinson has prompted a stream of counterthreats by North Korea to answer any U.S. attack.
On Tuesday, a spokesman for North Korea’s Foreign Ministry said the country was “unfazed” by the prospect of any U.S. military action, despite the deployment of the aircraft carrier.
“We will hold the U.S. wholly accountable for the catastrophic consequences to be entailed by its outrageous actions,” the spokesman said, according to Pyongyang’s Korean Central News Agency, warning that the country “is ready to react to any mode of war desired by the U.S.”
Rodong Sinmun, North Korea’s biggest newspaper, warned that the country, too, could launch a pre-emptive strike on the U.S. and warned the Trump administration to give up on any plans for such a strike.
Separately on Tuesday, North Korea and Syria reaffirmed their close ties as the two countries neared direct confrontations with the U.S.
North Korea and Syria are “conducting a war against big powers’ wild ambition to subject all countries to their expansionist and dominationist policy,” Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said in a message to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, according to a KCNA report published early Tuesday.
There has been speculation, based on satellite imagery and analysis, that North Korea might try to carry out another weapons test in the coming days as it prepares for the anniversary of the birth of the country’s founder, Kim Il Sung.
North Korea carried out three missile tests in the past month, including a midrange-missile launch on April 5 that triggered a terse response from the Trump administration.
“The United States has spoken enough about North Korea,” Mr. Tillerson said after that test. “We have no further comment.”
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