POTOMAC FALLS, Virginia: President Donald Trump says that the United States is prepared to act alone if China does not take a tougher stand against North Korea鈥檚 nuclear program.
Trump鈥檚 comments in an interview with the Financial Times come just days before he is set to host Chinese President Xi Jinping at his Mar-a-Lago estate in South Florida. The two are expected to discuss a number of issues, including North Korea, trade and territorial disputes in the South China Sea during their meeting on Thursday and Friday.
鈥淵es, we will talk about North Korea,鈥� Trump told the newspaper for a story that appeared Sunday on its website. 鈥淎nd China has great influence over North Korea. And China will either decide to help us with North Korea, or they won鈥檛. And if they do that will be very good for China, and if they don鈥檛 it won鈥檛 be good for anyone.鈥�
Trump said trade was the incentive for China to work with the United States. Still, he said the United States could 鈥渢otally鈥� handle the situation in North Korea without China鈥檚 help.
Asked how he would tackle North Korea, Trump said: 鈥淚鈥檓 not going to tell you. You know, I am not the United States of the past where we tell you where we are going to hit in the Middle East.鈥�
While China provides diplomatic and economic support to its neighbor, it claims that its influence over Kim Jong Un鈥檚 government is limited.
The relationship between the United States and China has been uncertain since Trump鈥檚 election. During his campaign he accused China of unfair trade practices and threatened to raise import taxes on Chinese goods and declare Beijing a currency manipulator, though it is unclear whether Trump will follow through with either threat.
Trump told the newspaper that he doesn鈥檛 鈥渨ant to talk about tariffs yet, perhaps the next time we meet.鈥�
Trump鈥檚 ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, also offered tough talk on China, saying on ABC鈥檚 鈥淭his Week鈥� that the US is pressing Beijing to take a firmer stand regarding North Korea鈥檚 nuclear program.
UN resolutions have failed so far to deter North Korea from conducting nuclear and missile tests. Last year, the North conducted two nuclear tests and two dozen tests of ballistic missiles.
鈥淭hey need to show us how concerned they are,鈥� Haley said of the Chinese. 鈥淭hey need to put pressure on North Korea. The only country that can stop North Korea is China, and they know that.鈥�
Asked what the US would do if China doesn鈥檛 cooperate, Haley said: 鈥淐hina has to cooperate.鈥�
Former Defense Secretary Ash Carter, however, said he doubted that Beijing will cooperate.
鈥淚鈥檝e been working on the North Korea problem since 1994,鈥� Carter said on ABC. 鈥淎nd we have consistently asked Chinese leaders ... because they uniquely have the historical and the economic relationship with North Korea to make a difference.
鈥淭hey haven鈥檛 used that influence, and so it鈥檚 hard for me to be optimistic with that,鈥� he said.
Trump says US prepared to deal with North Korea on its own
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