Can Donald Trump build a united front at the UN against North Korea’s nuclear threat?
US president will be ‘extremely tough’ on North Korea when he speaks at the United Nations but will cleave closely to China on the ideological front
Donald Trump will be “extremely tough” on North Korea when he delivers a speech at the United Nations on Tuesday, and will cleave more closely to China on the ideological front as the president sees curbing Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions as his most pressing objective.
“One of the chief regimes that will be singled out is North Korea and all of its destabilising, hostile and dangerous behaviour,” a senior White House official told reporters.
To build a united front in confronting Pyongyang, the US will focus on “outcomes, not ideologies”, the official said. The US wants “to work towards common goals with countries, not to dictate to them how to live, and not to dictate to them what kind of system of government they should have”.
Such an approach would break with Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama, whose final speech to the UN General Assembly focused on human rights, civil society and the rule of law.
Obama referred to the importance of human rights, an issue that has dogged US-China relations since the two countries established diplomatic relations in the 1970s, three times in the speech he delivered a year ago.
Trump has fostered close ties with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, reiterating a commitment to work with Beijing on the issue several times recently through direct calls and within the framework of the UN Security Council. The White House conducted its briefing soon after Xi and Trump spoke directly to reiterate their commitment to jointly confront military threats from North Korea.