US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo left Thailand on Saturday with his hopes for resuming nuclear talks with North Korea dashed, while facing an escalating trade war with China and a potentially devastating breakdown in relations between key American allies Japan and South Korea.
After three days in Bangkok that the Trump administration had expected could herald an end to the impasse in North Korea negotiations, Pompeo instead departed without progress on that front as Pyongyang continued to launch ballistic missiles, heightening unease over prospects for a denuclearization deal.
Pompeo expressed disappointment that the North had sent neither its foreign minister nor a counterpart for the chief US negotiator to the Thai capital.
"I always look forward to a chance to talk with him," Pompeo said on Friday after it became clear he would not be seeing the North Koreans.
"I wish they'd have come here. I think it would have given us an opportunity to have another set of conversations, and I hope it won't be too long before I have a chance to do that."
The official added that the North's absence "probably hurts their own interests" and that its failure thus far to agree to a new round of negotiations "is not a positive or constructive response by them."
Although Trump himself has downplayed the missile launches, this official said the recent tests two of which took place during the ASEAN meeting were unhelpful provocations that had been a "huge mistake" that caused "self-inflicted damage on their own part."
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