Trump 'appeases' China, threatens North Korea with 'fate' like Libya under Gaddafi

According to a source provided by The Washington Post, US officials are increasingly worried about the future of the upcoming US-North Korea negotiations on June 12, while North Korea shows no signs of wanting to continue nuclear negotiations with the US, forcing President Trump to take a soft approach with Beijing to seek help.

Mr. Trump once said that China influenced North Korea's sudden change. Photo: Washington Post.

According to TWP, in response to concerns that Pyongyang was actually withdrawing from the historic talks and appreciating China's ability to influence North Korean leader Kim Jong-un when it threatened the US to cancel the talks in Singapore, President Trump made a move to appease Beijing by offering to lift sanctions on Chinese telecommunications company ZTE.

The South Korean presidential office announced on May 20 that US President Donald Trump and his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in had a brief phone call, in which the two leaders exchanged views on North Korea's recent reactions and discussed conditions to ensure the US-North Korea Summit continues as planned.

After a North Korean diplomat threatened to cancel talks with the US on May 16, the US President said that the change in North Korea came from Kim Jong-un's second trip to China. His subordinates said "Mr. Trump was unhappy and reacted angrily when Beijing did not inform the White House in advance about the plan to meet Mr. Kim."

In response, China affirmed that it "has always supported stability and peace on the Korean Peninsula, as well as resolving the issue through dialogue." Mr. Xi is also said to have written a letter "appeasing" Mr. Trump.

According to the Washington Post, China accounts for 90% of North Korea's trade market, and China's cooperation in imposing sanctions on North Korea has been an important part of the "maximum pressure" campaign initiated by the US.

President Trump's concern for China's influence was reflected in his statement on Twitter that the US would seek to help the Chinese company ZTE, which is struggling because of US economic sanctions against Iran.

Faced with the risk of not holding the summit, Mr. Trump also sought to convince North Korea by ensuring the North Korean leader would be safe and promising to bring prosperity to the Northeast Asian country. But he also warned that if no agreement was made, North Korea could suffer the same “fate” as Libya – where leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown in the past after abandoning his nuclear program.