Washington — US President Donald Trump has held out the possibility of using trade as a lever to secure Chinese cooperation against North Korea and suggests Washington may deal with Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programmes on its own if need be. The comments, in an interview published on Sunday by the Financial Times, appeared designed to put pressure on Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of his visit to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida this week. "China has great influence over North Korea. And China will either decide to help us with North Korea, or they won’t. And if they do that will be very good for China, and if they don’t it won’t be good for anyone," Trump was quoted as saying, according to an edited transcript published by the newspaper. Asked what incentive the US had to offer China, Trump replied: "Trade is the incentive. It is all about trade." Asked if he would consider a "grand bargain" in which China pressured Pyongyang in return for a guarantee the US would lat...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.