There has been talk between President Trump and President Xi Jinping of China involving the situation in North Korea. On Wednesday, they had a 45 minute conversation regarding the topic and President Trump described it as a “very, very frank and very strong phone call.” Trump has also reached out to leaders from South Korea, Japan and others to help garner more support against North Korea. In addition, as many of you know, Trump has been talking about fighting North Korea with “fire and fury” if they posed a threat to the U.S. or allies.
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President Trump (left) and President Xi Jinping of China (Right)
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Both Xi and Nicholas Burns (a former diplomat) had told Trump that it is in his best interest to be careful in what he says in order to prevent an escalation of the current situation. The UN Security Council had recently imposed sanctions on North Korea’s testing of intercontinental ballistic missiles in July. Although at first Kim Jong Un backed down on his plan to fire missiles, he recently launched one over northern Japan and conducted an underground test of what was claimed to be a hydrogen bomb.
Amidst all of this, the U.S does not have a clear plan of action. People who were supposed to be involved in working with China, including Jared Kushner and Rex Tillerson, have either been caught up in other affairs or have disagreed with Trump on specific policies or broader views. There has also been mixed signals coming from the U.S. as the Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has threatened to cut off trade with anyone trading with North Korea. This, and other steps being taken to institute an oil embargo on North Korea do not bode well for the U.S’s relationship with China. Moreover, Mr. Trump has recently called for an investigation on China’s theft of technology from American companies, and has been demanding steps for stricter regulations towards Chinese steel exports. Amidst all of this, President Xi has been doing all he can to take care of the issue with North Korea. Such actions from the United States could possibly strain the alliance with China, especially since there is a lack of someone to actually discuss and help ease tensions between the two countries.
Discussion Questions:
What is your opinion on the mixed signals the U.S. government has given to the Chinese government? Was it a wise move for Mr. Trump to start an investigation of China or to plan for stricter regulations on steel trading with China?
What has President Trump done that is either helpful or not helpful to taking care of the issue in North Korea?
What do you guys believe is the logic behind Trump’s oil embargo plan?
3 comments:
I don't think starting conflict with China will be very helpful now. They're a powerful and growing nation, and starting a trade war or strife with them will just make things harder for all Americans. Furthermore, they could be a useful ally with North Korea - if we start conflict with China, then try to move on North Korea, the Chinese would help fight us off in order to keep us off their border. Furthermore, I don't think Trump is handling the North Korea situation itself well. It is never smart to try to taunt or escalate a situation, let alone with a dictator who has proven to have volatile behavior. He could end up putting American lives at risk if North Korea ever does end up getting the ability to effectively use nuclear weapons, which they seem close to. The better way to handle him would be with clever diplomacy or pressure, without using force or even worse invective that might cause North Korea to lash out.
I believe Trump's plan to cut off North Korea's oil is meant to destabilize the North Korean economy and hopefully even put an end to Kim Jong Un's regime. Without oil imports, North Korea could collapse because they don't really have domestic oil production. However, I think that it will unlikely be successful. Convincing China and Russia to cut off trade with North Korea will be difficult especially if Trump continues to start conflict with them. So if he has any chance of succeeding, I don't think he should start an investigation of China or implement stricter trade regulations. Rather, he should focus on building a stronger relationship with China, if he wants their support.
I believe that the mixed signals the US government is sending to the Chinese government demonstrates the lack of unity in the current administration. They need to work together better in order to compromise and find a more straightforward solution. Regarding China, I agree that Trump shouldn't try to increase tensions with them, as they are a very powerful nation that US should try to work together with. As for North Korea, I believe that the US should try to ease tensions with them as well in order to prevent a future catastrophe or world war. As seen from the devastating effects on Japan seventy years ago, we don't want to resort to nuclear warfare; instead, we should try to communicate and prevent potential attacks from happening.
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