Tillerson brings tough North Korea stance to China
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has broken with years of strategic patience over North Korea
Beijing — The United States’ top diplomat will press a tougher new line on North Korea in talks with a wary China on Saturday, in a tense atmosphere after President Donald Trump accused Beijing of failing to rein in Pyongyang. On a tour of Asia, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has broken with years of strategic patience over North Korea, saying that approach had "failed" and that US military action against North Korea was possible if its threats escalated. The sea change in US policy follows two North Korean nuclear tests last year and recent missile launches including a salvo earlier this month that Pyongyang described as practice for an attack on US bases in Japan. Trump upped the pressure on China to get tough in a Friday Twitter blast accusing Beijing of failing to use its leverage as North Korea’s key diplomatic and trade partner to put a leash on Pyongyang. "North Korea is behaving very badly. They have been ‘playing’ the United States for years. China has done little to help...
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