Donald Trump has declared he will offer China a more favourable trade deal in exchange for Beijing’s help in dealing with the nuclear threat from North Korea.
D onald Trump has declared he will offer China a more favourable trade deal in exchange for Beijing’s help in dealing with the nuclear threat from North Korea.
The US president said on Wednesday night he was confident Xi Jinping, the Chinese president would support America over Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions, but repeated that he was prepared to tackle the crisis alone if needed.
Tensions are escalating sharply over fears that North Korea may carry out another nuclear test on Saturday.
Washington has sent a navy strike group led by the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson to the region, joined by Japanese warships.
Mr Trump has described the force as an “armada”. The president also said that submarines were being sent which were “far more powerful than the aircraft carrier”.
M r Trump said he would not declare China to be a currency manipulator, despite having repeatedly pledged to do so, in a report due this week and that the focus should now be on cooperation with Beijing.
« President Xi wants to do the right thing. We had a very good bonding, I think we had a very good chemistry together, I think he wants to help us with North Korea, » Mr Trump told the Wall Street Journal.
« We talked trade, we talked a lot of things, and I said the way you’re going to make a good trade deal is to help us with North Korea, otherwise we’re just going to go it alone, that’ll be all right too, but going it alone means going with lots of other nations. »
I n a surprise move, China last night abstained rather than joining Russia in vetoing a UN security council resolution condemning the use of chemical weapons in Syria’s Idlib province.
