North Korea Nuclear Test: U.S. And China Working Together On A Response
China and the United States are said to be working together on how to respond to the recent strings of threats involving North Korea’s nuclear test. Lt Gen HR McMaster, the U.S. top security adviser, has said that there is a consensus between the United States and China regarding North Korea, with both nations having agreed that the situation “could not continue,” BBC reports.
These comments from General McMaster follow the recent failed missile launch test by North Korea. The country is believed to have tested yet another ICBM, although the test ended in a failure. China, who has long been North Korea’s only ally, has been under a lot of pressure recently from the United States and the rest of the globe to keep its neighbor in check. North Korea’s recent actions have been very provocative, and the situation has gotten tense very quick, with some even suggesting the possibility of World War 3 breaking out.
U.S. and South Korean media reported on Sunday morning that North Korea had launched a missile that had detonated moments after its launch. Regarding this recent missile launch test, General McMaster said that it perfectly fitted North Korea’s recent pattern of “provocative and destabilizing and threatening behavior.” General McMaster made his statement in an exclusive interview with ABC News.
“I think there’s an international consensus now, including the Chinese and the Chinese leadership, that this is a situation that just can’t continue.”
“The president has made clear that he will not accept the United States and its allies and partners in the region being under threat from this hostile regime with nuclear weapons.”
Investigations are still continuing on the most recent missile launch, an event that could very well end up being the final straw in the rising tensions between North Korea, China, and the U.S. An unnamed US official told BBC that the missile is most likely an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM). Most ballistic missiles follow a high trajectory and are initially guided before falling on the target under the influence of gravity. ICBMs are capable of traveling between continents and follow a sub-orbital trajectory.
North Korea has previously claimed that it possesses miniature nuclear warheads that can be put on such ICBMs, although foreign experts doubt that the country possesses such technology, due to lack of sufficient evidence. The country has however conducted as many as five nuclear tests and several missile tests in the past.
U.S. President Donald Trump and the President of China Xi Jinping met last week during the later’s state visit to the United States. The two reportedly discussed North Korea, with Trump pressuring Jinping to act more harshly on its neighbor.
Currently, U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence is on a 10-day tour of Asia, where he hopes to assure the ally nations of the U.S. that the country was committed to their safety and security. Pence who was at the South Korean capital of Seoul during North Korea’s recent failed missile launch called the action a “provocation.”
Several countries have issued a statement following North Korea’s failed missile launch. UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson issued the following warning.
“They must stop these belligerent acts and comply with UN resolutions.”
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi released a warning that if North Korea won’t stop with such provocations, a conflict could break out in the region “at any moment.”
U.S. President Donald Trump has previously said that the United States would be more than willing to act alone on North Korea’s nuclear threat although following his recent meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping, there have been strong hints that China and the U.S. could intervene together if necessary.
[Featured Image by Wong Maye-E/AP Images]
