Trump Blasts China After N. Korea’s Recent Missile Test, U.S. Shows Force

 On Saturday, President Donald Trump slammed China and said that the U.S. “will no longer allow this to continue” after North Korea completed another nuclear missile test.

“I am very disappointed in China. 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. We will no longer allow this to continue. China could easily solve this problem!” Tweeted Trump Saturday night.  

According to experts, North Korea’s Friday test had a striking range that could hit the U.S. mainland. This is the second missile test this month and it landed into the Sea of Japan after traveling 600 miles.

Trump has made it clear that the U.S. will be taking a stricter trade stance with China for their lack of action against North Korea.  

Earlier this year, Trump met with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The meeting seemed to be fruitful, but since then China has not applied enough pressure or sanctions on North Korea to force the country to halt its nuclear weapon program.  

Trump also reassured over the weekend that the U.S. is ready to take action. 

“By threatening the world, these weapons and tests further isolate North Korea, weaken its economy, and deprive its people,” said Trump. “The United States will take all necessary steps to ensure the security of the American homeland and protect our allies in the region.” 

Then on Sunday, the U.S. flew two B-1 bombers over the Korean Peninsula as a show of force, along with completing a successful missile defense test in Alaska.

“North Korea remains the most urgent threat to regional stability. Diplomacy remains the lead. However, we have a responsibility to our allies and our nation to showcase our unwavering commitment while planning for the worst-case scenario,” said Gen. Terrence J. O’Shaughnessy, Pacific Air Forces commander. “If called upon, we are ready to respond with rapid, lethal, and overwhelming force at a time and place of our choosing.” 

But the U.S. shouldn’t be the only country worried. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that the recent launch was a “blatant violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions that reflect the will of the international community.” 

Tillerson places blame on China and Russia.  

“As the principal economic enablers of North Korea’s nuclear weapon and ballistic missile development program, China and Russia bear unique and special responsibility for this growing threat to regional and global stability,” said TIllerson.  

So why has China been so resistant to help stop North Korea? 

“For its part, China is concerned about the repercussions of North Korea’s regime collapsing, including a civil war in an impoverished country with nuclear and chemical weapons. Beijing also is worried a fall of the regime could result in millions of refugees streaming across the border into China, observers say,” writes CNBC. “Another reason the administration remains wary of negotiations is previous U.S. attempts at denuclearization have failed, even after substantial assistance to North Korea. In April, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson pointed out the U.S. had provided the North with about $1.3 billion in aid since 1995.” 

Other experts think China and Russia won’t ever help the U.S. for more malicious reasons.

Ed Turzanski, an international policy and national security expert at the Foreign Policy Research Institute said that Russia and China’s leaders “are not interested in forming personal relationships and cutting win-win deals because in large part they still operate on a zero-sum game — you win, I lose.”  

“They are cold-blooded in calculating when it comes to national interests, and they are not going to do you any favors,” said Turzanski.

Author’s note: China should stop protecting North Korea before it becomes one of the biggest enemies of the U.N. and the U.S. 

Editor’s note: Trump’s recent comment that the North Korea situation will be “handled” leads me to believe he is examining options stronger than just sanctions. While it may not quite be time for a military option, we may be coming up to it.

Trump is keeping his cards close to the vest. His complaint during the campaign against Obama was that Obama always gave away his plans and intentions before he struck. Trump will not do that.