Donald Trump bluntly said Xi Jinping's efforts to rein in North Korea have "not worked out," but thanked his government for "at least" trying. The U.S. president has made his statement brief and candid to meet the 140-character limit of Twitter where he delivered this message.
While I greatly appreciate the efforts of President Xi & China to help with North Korea, it has not worked out. At least I know China tried!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 20, 2017
His tweet came a day after Otto Warmbier died following his 17-month imprisonment in Pyongyang for allegedly stealing a political campaign material during his visit in January.
Trump's statement came as a shocker to some of his officials who are unaware of what the president was referring to in his social media post.
An unnamed official told CNN that most of them were taken aback when the president sent this message hours before the U.S. and China were slated to discuss the issue of North Korea. In April, the American leader said that he has "great confidence" that Xi Jinping's leadership will help Washington against Kim Jong Un's regime.
I have great confidence that China will properly deal with North Korea. If they are unable to do so, the U.S., with its allies, will! U.S.A.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 13, 2017
But despite his high hopes of the Chinese government, Trump emphasized that his administration can deal with North Korea if they ever fail to do it.
CNN cited the U.S. president's recent statement could affect his relationship with his Chinese counterpart.
'They're not currency manipulator'
The two leaders had a private meeting during Xi Jinping's visit to the U.S. in April. Trump said he saw a "tremendous progress" during his talk with the Chinese leader and his staff at the former's private flat in Florida.
Their recent encounter came after the American leader branded China as a "currency manipulator."
Trump later said that his remarks were meant to appeal for the Chinese government's cooperation to curb the nuclear activities of North Korea. "Why would I call China a currency manipulator when they are working with us on the North Korean problem?
We will see what happens," he said after his meeting with his Chinese counterpart.
The U.S. president reiterated this message during an interview with the Wall Street Journal wherein he firmly denied that Beijing is a currency manipulator. He explained that it was only a strategic move to persuade the country to take stronger actions against Pyongyang.
After reversing his previous statement about China, several members of the Democratic Party slammed the U.S. president for his "lack of real, tough action on trade" against the country. Trump, however, refused to back down and said that he has assured the Chinese government that their trade deal with America "will be far better" if they will succeed in solving the issue of North Korea.
