US President Donald Trump has lashed out at China for undermining its work with North Korea, as criticism over progress on denuclearisation mounts.
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| 'It's all China's fault' says Mr Trump |
In a series of tweets he also said the US should not be spending on war games with South Korea, but if it did restart them they would be "bigger than ever".
The US called a halt to the military exercises which routinely infuriate Pyongyang after landmark talks in June.
But days ago his own defence secretary said military exercises might continue.
The ongoing debate about the war games comes as many observers say North Korea is not moving fast enough to dismantle nuclear or rocket sites following the summit between Mr Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in June.
Mr Trump's tweets appear to place the blame for these challenges squarely on China, but he also goes on to praise his personal ties with the leaders of both North Korea and China.
The confusing blend of criticism, praise and veiled threat comes as Washington faces mounting pressure to deliver results following those unprecedented talks.
Immediately after the summit Mr Trump announced there was "no longer a nuclear threat from North Korea".
Just days ago, Washington called off a trip to North Korea by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo with the president arguing that insufficient progress had been made in dismantling the North's nuclear programme.
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| Problem solved - according to Mr Trump after his June summit with Kim Jong-un |
Why take aim at China?
In his latest comments on Twitter, Mr Trump says North Korea was "under tremendous pressure from China because of our major trade disputes with the Chinese government".Beijing is Pyongyang's only significant ally and Washington's most powerful long-term strategic rival in the region.
The US and China are locked in an increasingly tense trade battle and each side has imposed tariffs on one another's goods.
Mr Trump has complained about the size of the US trade deficit with China and what Washington sees as other unfair trade practices.
Despite his strong words, Mr Trump's latest tweet concluded with some optimism, saying the trade issue could be resolved by himself and China's "great President Xi Jinping".
What progress has been made on denuclearisation?
Since the June summit, North Korea has halted its missile tests, claims to have dismantled a nuclear testing site and returned the remains of US soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War.
But Mr Trump has called out Pyongyang for what he said was insufficient progress on their broad agreement denuclearisation.
After a UN report found that North Korea was continuing to work on its nuclear programme, the US urged the international community to maintain sanctions and economic pressure on Pyongyang.
In his latest series of tweets, Mr Trump accused Beijing of providing North Korea with "considerable aid," suggesting China was softening the blow of sanctions.
"This is not helpful!" Mr Trump said.
Will war games resume?
The joint military exercises between Washington and Seoul have long angered Pyongyang.Following the summit in June, Mr Trump made what has widely been seen as a concession to Kim Jong-un and agreed to cancel the drills.
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| North Korea carried out a series of long-range missile tests in 2017 |
In his latest tweets, US president insisted his personal relationship with Mr Kim remained "a very good and warm one" and that there was no reason to restart the "war games" with the South.
But he added that if they did restart, the exercises would be "bigger than ever".
Mr Trump's tweets appear to contradict his defence secretary, who on Tuesday said the suspension of several joint exercises was a "good faith measure" and that "we have no plans to suspend any more."
Since the end of the Korean war, when Washington fought alongside Seoul against the North, the US has had troops stationed in South Korea.
About 29,000 US soldiers are based in the South, under a security agreement reached after the war ended in 1953.
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