Don’t stab China in the back over North Korea, Chinese state media tells Donald Trump
Xinhua commentary says US president wrong to attack Beijing over efforts to rein in Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons programme
Chinese state media delivered a rare rebuke aimed directly at US President Donald Trump, criticising him for avoiding responsibility for escalating tensions over North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme and warning the US not to “stab China in the back”.
The state-run news agency Xinhua ran a near 1,200-word commentary on Monday evening saying Trump has picked the wrong target in China to vent his frustration over the Korean nuclear crisis.
It also said the US should heed the message North Korea was sending through its latest launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile on Friday.
“On one hand it is saying it will not withdraw from the path of strengthening its nuclear [capabilities] , on the other it is sending a strong signal that it wants to talk to the US,” the article said.
The signed Xinhua commentary restated China’s efforts to pursue denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula, adding that Trump’s “hard-hitting” approach could lead to the outbreak of war with “unthinkable consequences”.