China slams United States logic' over North Korea

Beijing: China on Thursday derided the “irresponsible and absurd logic” of the US after President Donald Trump accused Beijing of making Washington’s relationship with North Korea more difficult.

“A lot of people, like me, feel that the US is first in the world when it comes to twisting the truth, and irresponsible and absurd logic,” Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular press briefing.

“This logic is not easily understood by all,” Hua said.

Trump’s refusal to direct criticism at North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and instead blame other parties for a lack of progress comes despite reports the US received a belligerent letter from Pyongyang, which prompted Pompeo to cancel a planned trip to North Korea last weekend.

“We hope the US can play a positive and constructive role in settling the issue just like the Chinese. To solve the problem, it should look at itself instead of shifting blame,” Hua added.

Efforts stalled several weeks ago, and last week, Trump ordered Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to cancel a planned trip to Pyongyang. At the time, Trump said that he did not believe China was helping in the denuclearisation process due to Washington’s tougher stance on trade.

Pompeo said on Tuesday that Washington remains ready to engage “when it is clear that chairman Kim stands ready to deliver on the commitments that he made at the Singapore summit to President Trump to completely denuclearise North Korea”.

According to the Washington Post, Pyongyang sent Pompeo a belligerent letter that prompted him to cancel the visit, though its precise contents were not known. On Wednesday, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters that Washington believes “denuclearisation has to take place before we get to other parts,” confirming that included such a declaration.