China must support efforts to rein in Kim

North Korea has reacted fiercely to the US move to send a Navy strike carrier USS Carl Vinson and its battle group to waters off Korean peninsula. The new development has further worsened the already volatile situation on the divided peninsula with the United States and South Korea conducting their biggest-ever military exercises. North Korea sees this annual wargames as dress rehearsal for invasion.
Pyongyang vowed a tough response to any military moves that might follow the presence of US carrier in waters off the Korean Peninsula. North Korean foreign ministry said in its statement US will be wholly accountable for the consequences of its provocative and outrageous actions. The statement comes in the wake of US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s warning that US missile strikes against a Syrian air base carry a message for any nation operating outside of international norms. Pyongyang has
justified its nuclear weapons program claiming that the US is preparing some kind of assault on the North.
North Korea further said that deployment of aircraft carrier proves US intention to carry out attack on the country. The North said if the US opts for a military action, Pyongyang is ready to react to any mode of war
desired by the US.
The US move to deploy Vinson comes as there were signs that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un might test a nuclear weapon to mark the birth of its founder Kim Il Sung on April 15. Since beginning, US President
Donald Trump has been very much clear that North Korea’s ambition to acquire nuclear weapons will not be tolerated.
When Chinese leader Xi Jinping met Trump in Florida last week, the US urged China to block North Korea’s access to the international financial system by cracking down on banks and companies that deal with it. Xi spoke with Donald Trump on Wednesday, urging dialogue to resolve concerns over North Korea’s nuclear program. He reiterated China’s commitment to denuclearization of the peninsula.
The situation in Korean Peninsula has never been so fraught. Xi phone call came after Trump tweeted that North Korea is “looking for trouble” and the US is ready to act alone to resolve the matter if China, the major backer of pariah nation, fails to rein in Kim. Trump has issued repeated, ambiguous warnings about his willingness to take unilateral actions against Korean regime. It seems to have assumed new tone after he ordered a missile strike against Syria last week over its alleged use of
chemical weapons.
Unlike before, Washington now views the threat as one against the US itself, as the North have boasted that it would soon gain missile capable of hitting US mainland. And so North Korea seems to be Trump’s top agenda. But even Republican leader, like his predecessor Barack Obama, tries to force China to contain North Korea. But unlike Obama, Trump has dangled a prospect of better trade deal in front of China, if Beijing helps solve the North Korea problem. Only time will tell what China opts, a good trade deal or a bad neighbor.