WASHINGTON ― President Donald Trump on Thursday assailed China for not doing enough to address North Korea’s escalating nuclear program, after North Korean officials launched another missile earlier this week.
In an early morning tweet, Trump claimed that “the Chinese Envoy ... seems to have had no impact on Little Rocket Man,” his nickname for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
While offering no details on his own plan for North Korea, Trump has repeatedly resorted to insults and bombastic rhetoric toward the regime, such as promising to unleash “fire and fury.”
He has also pinned much of the responsibility on North Korea’s only ally, China, threatening to cut off trade with the country, the United States’ largest trading partner.
In a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday, Trump “emphasized the need for China to use all available levers to convince North Korea to end its provocations and return to the path of denuclearization,” according to a statement from the White House.
Experts say that simply increasing pressure on China will do little to quell the nuclear tensions in the region.
Trump has claimed that the situation “will be handled,” while offering little indication of what the strategy might entail.
He has chastised his secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, for pursuing diplomatic talks, arguing that “he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man.”
“Save your energy Rex, we’ll do what has to be done!” Trump tweeted in October.