North Korea: Donald Trump’s threat to boycott trading partners ‘unrealistic’
DONALD Trump responded to North Korea’s latest bomb test with an ominous threat, but there’s $40 billion reasons it won’t work.
A FURIOUS Donald Trump has threatened to hit countries doing business with North Korea where it hurts following its latest weapon test.
Kim Jong-un’s secretive regime yesterday claimed “perfect success” in an underground test of what it called a hydrogen bomb.
The test sparked global condemnation with Mr Trump and his top general James Mattis warning the US is ready to use “overwhelming” force in the wake of the nuclear test.
The President also warned the US is considering stopping all trade with countries who did business with North Korea.
The United States is considering, in addition to other options, stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2017
However experts pointed out this option may not be realistic given China is a major trading partner to the US.
The US imports about $40 billion in goods a month from China, North Korea’s main commercial partner, the Associated Press reported.
Mr Trump’s threat to halt all trade with countries doing business with the North, is a veiled warning to China, while also faulting South Korea for its “talk of appeasement.”
Senior fellow at the GW Center for Cyber and Homeland Security (CCHS) pointed out the list of countries this included was long.
In the last 12hrs, Trump has threatened America's #2nd and #6th biggest trading partners on twitter.
— Aki Peritz (@AkiPeritz) September 3, 2017
The nations are:
— Aki Peritz (@AkiPeritz) September 3, 2017
China
India
Philippines
Taiwan
France
Mozambique
Russia
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Mexico
Germany
Turkey
Saudi Arabia
Egypt
Chile https://t.co/Zxgxn3XRdz
He also pointed out US-China trade in 2016 was two ways, amounting to $815 billion (US$650 billion) worth of goods and services.
At a press conference this morning Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said it was time for all nations, including China, to bring North Korea to its senses.
“Australia together with the global community utterly condemns the latest reckless action by this dangerous regime,” he said.
Mr Turnbull said the enhanced UN sanctions will begin operation this week and China would be the one enforcing them.
New York-based political analyst and Asian specialist Sean King said he wasn’t sure how realistic the President’s threat really was.
“It’d be tough to stop all trade with all countries that do business with North Korea,” he said.
“But I at least, like how the president’s thinking here. To start, we can get real with US friends and allies, asking them why they keep doing so much business with Pyongyang.”
Mr King said there were steps the US could take in the meantime.
“One real thing that we can do right now, assuming we can’t pass a North Korea oil embargo at the UN is to deny US dollar access to any mainland Chinese oil company that supplies North Korea,” he said.
“Do this tomorrow.”
According to Professor John Blaxland, Director of ANU’s Southeast Asia Institute, the biggest issue was that China and the US needed each other for trade.
Prof Blaxland if the US did stop trade with China this would have global ramifications which would be catastrophic.
He said China remained a vital trading partner for the US.
China remains North Korea’s biggest trading partner, accounting for around 90 per cent of trade.
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