MNI: China's Xi Tells Trump Goal On Korean Peninsula Is Peace

     BEIJING (MNI) - Chinese President Xi Jinping told U.S. President Donald

Trump in a phone conversation Wednesday night that China's "unswerving goal" is

to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula and preserve peace and stability in the

region, Xinhua News Agency reported Thursday.

     The call came after North Korea's test launch this week of a ballistic

missile that the United States military said could reach anywhere on the U.S.

mainland. The U.S. military said previous North Korea tests proved its missiles

could hit as far away as Alaska or Hawaii. 

     Trump responded to the latest test by saying the U.S. would impose

"additional major sanctions" on Pyongyang, without specifying what those

sanctions would be. He also said in a Twitter message that he had spoken with Xi

about North Korea's "provocative actions," adding that "This situation will be

handled!"

     In New York, the United Nations Security Council was reportedly meeting to

discuss possible new sanctions against North Korea, including measures that

would allow North Korean ships to be stopped and searched as they sail on the

high seas. 

     Xi said in his call with Trump that China would continue to communicate

with the United States and "all other related parties" on the matter while

pushing for a peaceful resolution of the issue, the Xinhua report said. 

     In response, Trump said "Washington highly values China's important role in

solving the nuclear issue, and is willing to enhance communications and

coordination with China in search for solutions to the issue," the report said.

     In an editorial on Thursday, China's nationalistic Global Times newspaper

said North Korea's progress in missile tests had "superseded Washington's

expectations," and called U.S. foreign policy on North Korea "nothing by an

abysmal failure."

     It said that by counting on China's support for a new round of "Trump

administration pressure tactics," Washington has "placed China in a precarious

situation by asking for more than what was originally expected by the U.N.

Security Council regarding the previous round of North Korea sanctions." 

     "China has always carried out U.N. Security measures, however, it will

refuse extra responsibilities stemming from both sides," the editorial said. 

     "It is time the U.S. realized that increasing and tightening sanctions

already in place will not have the desired effect," the editorial said. "Since

yesterday, Pyongyang has never been this confident. Condemnations from the U.N.

Security Council and the new sanctions that may follow will solve nothing."

--MNI Beijing Bureau; +86 (10) 8532-5998; email: vince.morkri@marketnews.com

--MNI BEIJING Bureau; +1 202-371-2121; email: john.carter@mni-news.com

[TOPICS: M$A$$$,M$Q$$$,MC$$$$]