Trump lashes out at China for inaction on containing N. Korea

People watch as coverage of an ICBM missile test is displayed on a screen in a public square in Pyongyang on July 29, 2017.

US President Donald Trump has harshly expressed “disappointment” at China for lack of action to contain North Korea, vowing not to allow the inaction to continue without elaborating.

"I am very disappointed in China,” Trump tweeted Saturday. “Our foolish past leaders have allowed them to make hundreds of billions of dollars a year in trade, yet they do NOTHING for us with North Korea, just talk."

He also vowed not to "allow this to continue," asserting that "China could easily solve this problem!”

The development came a day after North Koreans carried out their latest test firing an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), insisting that it is capable of striking the mainland United States.

Trump had previously pledged to exert pressure on China to do more to rein in Pyongyang and its rapidly advancing missile program; however, he seems to have cooled to the notion in recent months.

US President Donald Trump, US first lady Melania Trump, and Barron Trump walk to Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House June 30, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by AFP)

Chinese authorities have not yet reacted to Trump’s latest statements about Beijing.

Pyongyang has confirmed that it had launched the ICBM, with its leader Kim Jong-un claiming the entire US mainland is now within the range of the newly-tested guided missile.

North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA)  reported that the latest test involved an updated version of the Hwasong-14 ICBM, which flew as far as 998 kilometers for some 47 minutes at a maximum altitude of 3,724.9 kilometers.

US authorities had earlier confirmed that the missile was an ICBM but downplayed claims that it could reach the US mainland. 

The developments came nearly 10 months after Pyongyang carried out its fifth nuclear test. The North’s nuclear and missile programs have drawn harsh sanctions from the United Nations and the West since 2006.

North Korea regards the US as its arch enemy since Washington has adopted a war-like posture vis-à-vis Pyongyang and has permanent military presence in the region.

North Korea sees its missile and nuclear capabilities as a deterrent against a potential US aggression.


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