Trump 'disappointed' in China after North Korea's latest missile test

ByLUCIEN BRUGGEMAN ABCNews logo
Tuesday, August 1, 2017

In a pair of tweets Saturday evening, President Trump said he is "disappointed" in China after North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan.

"I am very disappointed in China. Our foolish past leaders have allowed them to make hundreds of billions of dollars a year in trade, yet they do NOTHING for us with North Korea, just talk," Trump wrote, adding, "We will no longer allow this to continue. China could easily solve this problem!"

The launch Friday was North Korea's 11th ballistic missile test this year. The U.S. and South Korea responded by firing short-range missiles into the Sea of Japan "as a show of force," the U.S. military said in a statement.

Trump has frequently invoked the Chinese government after North Korean missile tests. In May, after the North Koreans fired off a short-range Scud missile, he tweeted: "North Korea has shown great disrespect for their neighbor, China, by shooting off yet another ballistic missile...but China is trying hard!"

In April, a botched North Korean ballistic missile test drew this response from the president: "North Korea disrespected the wishes of China & its highly respected President when it launched, though unsuccessfully, a missile today. Bad!"

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