In another daring interview, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States is ready to act unilaterally, without China’s help, in dealing with North Korea’s increasingly aggressive actions, according to a report by the Business Times.
"Well, if China is not going to solve North Korea, we will. That is all I am telling you," Trump said in an interview with the Financial Times of London.
President Trump’s statement comes ahead of his meeting with his Chinese counterpart, President Xi Jinping, at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
The two leaders’ decision on North Korea’s controversial nuclear program will be crucial as tensions have risen due to the Hermit Kingdom’s ballistic missile tests in the region. In addition, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un even went so far as to state that the country was in the final stages in the creation of an intercontinental ballistic missile.
China’s influence over North Korea is key
According to Nikki Haley, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, the U.S. is hopeful that China will take concrete action steps against North Korea.
"The only country that can stop North Korea is China and they know that," said Haley. "We're going to continue to put pressure on China to have action."
The Mar-a-Lago meeting between China and the U.S. will be the two superpowers’ first face-to-face encounter since Trump took office.
"China has great influence over North Korea. And China will either decide to help us with North Korea, or they won't," Trump added. "If they do, that will be very good for China, and if they don't, it won't be good for anyone."
Acknowledging difficulties
With the much-awaited meeting nearing, Trump expressed that he is expecting a difficult talk with President Xi, taking into consideration the recent disputes over trade policy.
However, Haley insists that the most important agenda for the Florida meeting the conversation on how to deal with North Korea’s recent actions.
"At some point, we need to see definitive actions by China condemning North Korea and not just calling them out for it," she said.