Trump has made a number of comments critical of China which some foreign policy experts fear could roll back good relations between Beijing and Washington [Xinhua]
If the Chinese thought that US President-elect Donald Trump would temper down his rhetoric critical of Beijing on trade and foreign policy, they had better think again.
Late on Monday, Trump tweeted that there was no way the North Koreans would be allowed to develop a missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead which would reach North American shores.
“It won’t happen!” he Tweeted.
He then immediately after Tweeted that “China has been taking out massive amounts of money & wealth from the U.S. in totally one-sided trade, but won’t help with North Korea. Nice!”
But the Chinese Foreign Ministry quickly fired back.
“China’s policy on the issue of the Korean Peninsula is clear and consistent, ” spokesperson Geng Shuang said.
“China’s efforts on the issue is obvious to all,” Geng said. “We hope that all parties related can avoid words and acts that may cause escalation of the tension, and come back to the track of dialogue at an early date,” he added.
China, and Russia, has previously accused the US of escalating tensions in the Asia-Pacific region by deploying advanced anti-missile technology in South Korea and Japan.
US Secretary of State John Kerry has previously said that China’s role in containing North Korea is vital.
Trump’s China swipe came a day after media reports quoted North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as saying in a televised address that his country’s armed forces were on the verge of launching an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
Kim went on to say that North Korea had now become a power in the east and could stand up to any enemy.
He also called on the US to withdraw its forces from the Korean Peninsula, claiming that their presence there was a provocation.
The BRICS Post with inputs from Agencies
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