China has welcomed Donald Trump’s statement that he would be “honoured” to meet Kim Jong Un under the right circumstances, amid soaring tensions over Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions.
The US president’s comments contrast with his hardline stance on the North Korean leader, as well as Friday’s call from Rex Tillerson, US secretary of state, for the UN to impose “painful sanctions” on Pyongyang to deter its nuclear programme. A weekend ballistic missile test prompted Mr Trump to declare that North Korea had “disrespected” Beijing.
Beijing yesterday called on the two countries to “meet each other halfway”. Geng Shuang, foreign ministry spokesman, reiterated China’s position that “the only practical and feasible way to realise the de-nuclearisation of the peninsula is to solve the issue through dialogue, negotiations and in peaceful ways”.