Trump says N. Korea 'will be taken care of' amid mounting tensions
"Military options are already being assessed," a White House foreign policy advisor said on Friday
April 14, 2017
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump vowed Thursday that the "problem" of North Korea "will be taken care of," as speculation mounted that Pyongyang might be preparing another nuclear or missile test.
"North Korea is a problem, the problem will be taken care of," Trump told reporters.
Separately on Twitter, he expressed confidence that China, Pyongyang's sole ally, would "properly deal with North Korea". But, "if they are unable to do so, the US, with its allies, will! USA".
The ominous comments came the same day Trump ordered the dropping of the biggest non-nuclear bomb the US military possesses on Afghanistan, targeting a complex used by the Daesh group.
A US aircraft carrier and its naval strike group have been diverted to the Korean peninsula.
Trump also flexed his military muscle last week by ordering cruise missile strikes on a Syrian airbase the US believed was the origin of an alleged chemical weapons attack on civilians in a northern Syria town.
North Korea test 'primed'
There are reports of activity at a nuclear test site in North Korea ahead of Saturday's 105th anniversary of the birth of the country's founder Kim Il-Sung.
A US monitoring group, 38North, has described the Punggye-ri test site as "primed and ready."
The Voice of America, quoting US government and other sources, said North Korea "has apparently placed a nuclear device in a tunnel and it could be detonated Saturday AM Korea time."
Trump has repeatedly said he will prevent Pyongyang from developing a nuclear-tipped ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States. He has asked his advisers to give him all options for dealing with the nuclear-armed North.
The US president has also said he would not signal his punches before embarking on any military action abroad.
China influence 'not what you'd think'
Asked on Thursday whether the bomb dropped in Afghanistan – a GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb, better known by its nickname, the "Mother Of All Bombs" – was a warning to Pyongyang, Trump demurred.
"I don't know if this sends a message to North Korea," he said. "It doesn't make any difference if it does or not."
The North is under multiple sets of United Nations sanctions over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
In an interview published Thursday by The Wall Street Journal, Trump said he told Chinese President Xi Jinping to let North Korea know that the US has not only aircraft carriers but nuclear submarines.
But Trump said Xi, during a meeting in Florida last week, had corrected his earlier misconception that Beijing could easily get rid of the North Korea threat.
"After listening for 10 minutes, I realised it's not so easy," Trump said. "I felt pretty strongly that they had a tremendous power" over North Korea. "But it's not what you would think."
Worries after Trump's comments
Trump's unorthodox and seemingly impulsive approach to foreign policy has unsettled China, piling new pressure on its hands-off North Korea policy. As tensions rise on the Korean peninsula, Beijing appears alarmed by Trump's strident pronouncements as it tries to figure out how to manage the billionaire politician.
"President Trump's penchant for an unpredictable foreign policy does not sit well with Beijing, which calibrates its approach based on careful assumptions of US consistency," said Tiffany Ma of the DC-based National Bureau of Asian Research.
Beijing has long opposed dramatic action against Pyongyang, fearing the regime's collapse would send a flood of refugees across its borders and leave the US military on its doorstep. But "the US has run out of patience," analyst Ma said.
Trump tweeted Tuesday that "if China decides to help, that would be great. If not, we will solve the problem without them!"
The stick was accompanied by a carrot, with Trump noting "I explained to the President of China that a trade deal with the US will be far better for them if they solve the North Korean problem!"
High Stakes
Beijing, the North's sole major ally and economic lifeline, has been forced to take a tougher line against its neighbour, including suspending coal imports from the country for the remainder of the year.
"The US might itch to take action against North Korea on its own if Beijing chooses to do nothing. It seems to be a much better choice now for Beijing to get more actively involved," said University of Hong Kong historian Xu Guoqi.
"China likely recognises that Pyongyang's technical progress has increased Washington's threat perception and sense of urgency," Michael Kovrig of the International Crisis Group told AFP.
An unusually blunt editorial in the state-run Global Times newspaper earlier this week warned Pyongyang that a new test would be a "slap in the face of the US government," and that Beijing would not "remain indifferent", adding any further provocations could see China restrict oil exports to the country.
Last month, a frustrated Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman had suggested that "if the US or another country has a better plan, a better proposal, they can bring it out."
"China-US rivalry remains extremely high in the region, and there are reasons to doubt that such rivalry could be put aside to solve the Korean peninsula issue," said Alice Ekman, Head of China research at the French Institute of International Relations. "On the contrary, the rivalry may crystallise further on the Korean peninsula issue and exacerbate existing tensions," she added.
Is the US gearing up already?
"Military options are already being assessed," a White House foreign policy advisor said on Friday on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic, describing a fresh test as "possible."
"Unfortunately it's not a new surprise for us, (North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un) continues to develop this program, he continues to launch missiles into the Sea of Japan. With the regime, it's not a matter of if, it's when."
The comments came after President Donald Trump told reporters that the "problem" of North Korea "will be taken care of."
Privately, the White House acknowledges that striking North Korea would be a "much more complicated piece of business" than the Syria strike, in the words of a second senior administration official.
Any US strike on North Korea could prompt retaliation against allies or US forces in South Korea or Japan.
On Saturday Trump will dispatch Vice President Mike Pence to the region to firm up resolve among allies.
Pence will visit South Korea, Japan, Indonesia, and Australia, with North Korea high on the agenda in each capital to assure allies that commitment is "ironclad," according to one White House official.
"We are fully committed to our security alliances, especially in the face of our evolving security challenges, as we've seen the nuclear threat of North Korea," the official said.
