The timing of the positive tweet from Trump is somewhat unusual given that it comes just days after Pyongyang expressed unhappiness with Washington\u2019s demands regarding the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.<\/p>\n
\nI have confidence that Kim Jong Un will honor the contract we signed &, even more importantly, our handshake. We agreed to the denuclearization of North Korea. China, on the other hand, may be exerting negative pressure on a deal because of our posture on Chinese Trade-Hope Not!<\/p>\n
\u2014 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n
North Korean officials have complained about US demands for \u201cunilateral\u201d<\/em> and forced denuclearization and a North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that the US was \u201cfatally mistaken\u201d<\/em> if it believed that his country would accept demands that reflected a \u201cgangster-like<\/em><\/a>\u00a0 mindset\u201d<\/em>.<\/p>\n
Trump appeared to place the blame for Pyongyang\u2019s tough words at Beijing\u2019s doorstep, however. China, he wrote, \u201cmay be exerting negative pressure on a deal because of our posture on Chinese Trade\u201d<\/em> \u2014 but added that he hoped this was not the case.<\/p>\n
\nRead more<\/p>\n
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\n <\/a>\n<\/div>\nNew US tariffs of 25 percent on Chinese imports worth $34 billion came into effect<\/a> last Friday and tariffs on a further $16 billion in Chinese goods are set to take effect in about two weeks. Beijing responded by imposing reciprocal measures on US-imported goods, but Trump said the US would consider targeting up to $500 billion of Chinese imports, if Beijing continued to retaliate.<\/p>\n
On Sunday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that US sanctions on North Korea would not be lifted until denuclearization had been \u201cverified\u201d<\/a><\/em> fully, but said that Pyongyang had \u201creaffirmed its commitment\u201d<\/em> to denuclearization, including promises to destroy a missile engine test site, during his two-day visit to the country for high-level talks. He too shrugged off Pyongyang\u2019s less enthusiastic rhetoric about the ongoing negotiations.<\/p>\n
So far, Trump has honored the commitment made to Kim that the US would temporarily halt military exercises with South Korea in the region, much to the disappointment of some lawmakers in Washington.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
![\"Secretary](\"https:\/\/cdni.rt.com\/files\/2018.07\/thumbnail\/5b40bc6bfc7e9317048b4584.jpg\")