Beijing's Response to Trump's Criticism: China is Not the Source of the North Korean Problem

One day after the U.S. President criticized Beijing's handling of the North Korean issue, China's Foreign Ministry responded to this criticism, stating that the source of this problem is not China and that all parties must cooperate to resolve the issue. North Korea announced on Friday, July 27, that it had successfully tested an intercontinental missile, warning that with this test, 'all of the continental United States' is now within North Korea's reach. Donald Trump, the U.S. President, who had previously asked China to take more action to prevent military and nuclear actions from Pyongyang, stated on Sunday that Beijing has done 'nothing' in this regard. In a Twitter message, the U.S. President wrote: 'I am very disappointed in China. Our previous stupid leaders allowed them to make hundreds of billions of dollars in trade every year, but... they do nothing for us regarding North Korea. They just talk. We will no longer allow this situation to continue. China could easily solve this problem.' In response to this criticism, according to Reuters, the Chinese Foreign Ministry released a statement on Monday saying that the North Korean nuclear issue did not originate from China and that all parties must cooperate to resolve this problem. The statement noted that 'the international community widely recognizes China's efforts to resolve the issue' and added that 'all parties must reach a proper understanding of this issue.' According to Reuters, Qian Keming, the Deputy Minister of Commerce of China, also emphasized on Monday at a press conference that he believes there is no connection between the North Korean issue and trade between China and the U.S., and 'these two issues should not be discussed in relation to each other.' China, which is the main trading partner of North Korea, has repeatedly stated that it strictly adheres to UN resolutions regarding North Korea and does not consider unilateral U.S. sanctions against Pyongyang to be helpful. The state-run newspaper 'Global Times' of China also wrote on Monday that 'Pyongyang is determined to advance its nuclear and missile programs and does not heed U.S. and South Korean military threats.' The official Chinese news agency Xinhua also reported on the same day that 'China wants both balanced trade with the United States and sustainable peace on the Korean Peninsula.' The news agency added that 'however, to achieve this goal, Beijing needs a partner in the White House that is willing to cooperate more, not someone who constantly blames China for U.S. weaknesses and failures.' The U.S. is attempting to increase UN Security Council sanctions against North Korea, and the U.S. Congress has recently targeted North Korea alongside Iran and Russia for new sanctions. On the other hand, in response to North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile test, the United States flew two of its supersonic bombers over the Korean Peninsula on Sunday. Meanwhile, according to the Russian news agency Interfax, the Russian Foreign Ministry also issued a statement saying that 'the U.S. attempt to blame Russia and China for developments on the Korean Peninsula is unfounded.' The statement further called on all parties to 'refrain from any actions that may lead to further escalation of tensions.' Nikki Haley, the U.S. representative to the UN, emphasized on Sunday that holding a Security Council meeting regarding North Korea is 'useless' and that the time for 'talking' about North Korea is over.