China laughs at Trump tweet
President-elect Donald Trump chided North Korea and China in two Twitter posts, but Beijing on Tuesday shrugged off the criticism over its role in curbing Pyongyang’s weapons program.
In his first tweet, Mr. Trump remarked Monday on news over the weekend that North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un said his government was completing preparations for a test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile, which could be the next stage in developing a nuclear weapon that could strike parts of the U.S.
“North Korea just stated that it is in the final stages of developing a nuclear weapon capable of reaching parts of the U.S.,” the first tweet said. “It won’t happen!”
Less than an hour later, Mr. Trump blamed Beijing for not cracking down on North Korea’s weapons development.
That tweet said: “China has been taking out massive amounts of money & wealth from the U.S. in totally one-sided trade, but won’t help with North Korea. Nice!”
Addressing questions about Mr. Trump’s tweets during a regular press briefing on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said that China’s efforts to solve the North Korean nuclear issue “are clear for all to see.”
Mr. Geng pointed to China’s convening of six-nation talks aimed at convincing North Korea to give up its nuclear program, as well as its support for United Nations sanctions against its ally. He added that any problems in the economic relationship between the U.S. and China should be “properly addressed through dialogue and consultation,” but avoided commenting on whether Mr. Trump’s use of Twitter helped or hindered diplomatic discussions.
“We don’t pay attention to the features of foreign leaders’ behavior. We focus more on their policies,” he said.
China Shrugs Off Trump Twitter Jab on North Korea - WSJ