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US President Donald Trump hit back at critics of his recent Asia trip and vowed a global campaign of "maximum pressure" on the DPRK on Wednesday, warning Pyongyang will not subject the world to "nuclear blackmail."
Defending an almost two week trip to Asia that was long on pomp but – critics say – short on achievements, Trump said he had successfully galvanized opposition to the DPRK proliferation.
"I made clear that we will not allow this twisted dictatorship to hold the world hostage to nuclear blackmail," Trump said in a televised statement a day after returning from the marathon trip.
US President Donald Trump departs after speaking about his recent trip to Asia in the Diplomatic Room of the White House in Washington, US, November 15, 2017. /Reuters Photo
"President Xi recognizes that a nuclear North Korea [DPRK] is a grave threat to China," Trump said.
China and the US may still have different opinions on the best way to address the DPRK nuclear issue, but Trump promised to coordinate with Beijing.
During his talks with Xi, Trump said the US hopes to work with China to push for denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula. Washington highly values China's important role in the issue, he noted.
Though he urged China to "act faster and more effectively on this problem than anyone," the US president refrained from making fresh military threats during his Beijing tour.
US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania visit the Forbidden City with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, China, November 8, 2017. /Reuters Photo
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson went further by saying there is "no disagreement" between Trump and Xi over the DPRK, according to Reuters.
"Rather than building on the messages in Japan and South Korea on the importance of trilateral unity in the face of the North Korean threat, President Trump tweeted about how hard he has tried to be North Korea's friend and called Kim Jong Un 'short and fat,'" he said.
Aside from the furore over Trump tweets, his visit also saw 11 Asian allies announce they would press ahead with a free trade agreement known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
"The US is out of the game," said Nate Olson of the Stimson Center. "While the US posture alternates between defensive and scorched-earth, other countries are actively fighting to reshape the trade landscape in their favor."
(AFP)
