washington US ready to use force in N. Korea, but prefers trade clout

Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS

The United States vowed Wednesday to use military force to defend the country and its allies against a North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile if necessary, but said it prefers to use its clout in international trade to address the growing threat.

In a hard-hitting speech at an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council after Pyongyang’s successful launch of an ICBM, U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley said that “the world has become a more dangerous place” and China has a key role in promoting peace.

China is responsible for 90 percent of trade with North Korea, and Haley warned that Beijing risks its massive trade with the United States if its business dealings with Pyongyang violate U.N. sanctions.

She said the United States doesn’t seek conflict – “in fact we seek to avoid it.” But she said the launch of an ICBM “is a clear and sharp military escalation” and the U.S. is prepared to use its “considerable military forces” to defend itself and its allies “if we must.”

But Haley said the Trump administration prefers “not to go in that direction” but to use its “great capabilities in the area of trade” to address “those who threaten us and ... those who supply the threats.”

Haley said she had a long conversation Wednesday morning with President Donald Trump about U.S. clout when it comes to trade.

Until recently, American officials had been describing China as a partner in their strategy to prevent North Korea from developing the ability to strike the U.S. mainland with nuclear weapons. But Trump has expressed growing irritation at Beijing’s reluctance to tighten the screw on Pyongyang over its nuclear and missile programs.

“There are countries that are allowing, even encouraging trade with North Korea, in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions,” Haley said.

“Such countries would also like to continue their trade arrangements with the United States,” she said. “That’s not going to happen. Our attitude on trade changes when countries do not take international security threats seriously.”

Haley said the seven U.N. sanctions resolutions haven’t gotten North Korea to change its “destructive course,” and she stressed that much of the burden of enforcing the resolutions rests with China because of its overwhelming trade with its neighbor.

Declaring that it’s time to do more, Haley announced that the U.S. will put forward a new Security Council resolution in the coming days “that raises the international response in a way that is proportionate to North Korea’s escalation.”