With few days remaining until his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump addressed the North Korean nuclear threat, mentioning he plans to raise the issue during the meeting and pressure China into taking the matter into their hands:
China has great influence over North Korea” and will “decide to help us with North Korea, or they won’t. If they do, that will be very good for China, and if they don’t, it won’t be good for anyone.” Trump told The Financial Times in an Oval Office interview.
When asked whether he would consider a deal which involves withdrawing US military presence from South Korea, the President responded “If China is not going to solve North Korea, we will. That is all I am telling you.”
He also mentioned his great respect for China, stating he would not be at all surprised if the United States and China “did something that would be very dramatic and good for both countries.” He also implied that trade issues might be used as leverage when dealing with China, though BBC reports he doesn’t intend to raise the tariff issue with Xi.
According to The Financial Times, Former CIA China analyst Dennis Wilder reported that President Trump appears ready to use “secondary sanctions” against Chinese individuals and entities which deal with North Korea, and he may also push China to stop using North Korean labor.
