The United States will continue to build its military defences against North Korea, Donald Trump told Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday, pledging all options are on the table….
The United States will continue to build its military defences against North Korea, Donald Trump told Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday, pledging all options are on the table. The pair spoke by phone a day after Pyongyang fired a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan, in what analysts said was a warning ahead of Trump’s summit with China’s Xi Jinping at which North Korea is set to dominate the agenda. Trump “made clear that the United States will continue to strengthen its ability to deter and defend itself and its allies with the full range of its military capabilities,” the White House said in a statement about the call. “The president emphasised that the United States stands with its allies Japan and South Korea in the face of the serious threat that North Korea continues to pose.” Though the White House has previously made similar statements, the call came hours before Trump hosts Chinese President Xi for a two-day summit at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Trump has said the United States is prepared to go it alone in bringing Pyongyang to heel if China – North Korea’s top ally – does not step in. In Tokyo, Abe said Trump reaffirmed that he is prepared to consider all possibilities in dealing with North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.
