United States President Donald Trump has said that it would be great if China decided to help in solving the impending threat of a nuclear North Korea, but if it did not, then the United States would solve the problem without them.
"North Korea is looking for trouble. If China decides to help, that would be great. If not, we will solve the problem without them! U.S.A," Trump tweeted.
Trump said he had explained to the Chinese President Xi Jinping he would negotiate a far better trade deal with Beijing if it solved the North Korean problem.
"I explained to the President of China that a trade deal with the U.S. will be far better for them if they solve the North Korean problem!" Trump said in a tweet.
The remarks by Trump come days after he had hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping at his private Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
Trump administration has always highlighted its concern over the North Korean nuclear threat. Moreover, Trump has always argued that China is responsible for the continued nuclear proliferation in North Korea.
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North Korea has warned Washington of "catastrophic consequences" over any further provocations after a U.S. navy battle group was sent to waters off the Korean peninsula recently.
The decision to divert the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier and other battleships came after tensions soared over ongoing military drills involving American and South Korean forces that Pyongyang regards as a precursor to an invasion, reports the Guardian.
"We will hold the U.S. wholly accountable for the catastrophic consequences to be entailed by its outrageous actions. North Korea is ready to react to any mode of war desired by the U.S.," North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency quoted a foreign ministry spokesman as saying.
The spokesman further noted Washington's refusal to rule out a pre-emptive strike against North Korean missile sites as justification for its nuclear programme.
"The prevailing grave situation proves once again that (North Korea) was entirely just when it increased in every way its military capabilities for self-defence and pre-emptive attack with a nuclear force as a pivot," the spokesman said.
He asserted that North Korea would take the toughest counteraction against the provocateurs in order to defend itself.
North Korea had yet again defied UN resolutions banning it from developing ballistic missile technology with another test-launch on the eve of Trump's summit with the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, in Florida last week.
Meanwhile, China has downplayed reports that Beijing has deployed 1,50,000 troops to its border with North Korea.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said that she was "not aware" of such a step taken by the People's Liberation Army along the 880-mile border.