WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump told Japanese leader Shinzo Abe on Wednesday that Washington will continue to build its military capabilities to defend against a North Korean attack, the White House said.
The pair spoke by phone a day after Pyongyang fired a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan, in what analysts said was a warning ahead of a US-China summit at which North Korea s accelerating atomic weapons program is set to top the agenda.
Though the White House has previously made similar statements, the call came hours before Trump hosts Chinese President Xi Jinping for a two-day summit at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Trump has said the United States is prepared to go it alone in bringing Pyongyang to heel if China — North Korea’s top ally — does not step in.
In Tokyo, Abe said Trump had reaffirmed that all options are available in dealing with North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs. “I told (President Trump) that Japan is watching closely how China will cope with this North Korean issue,” the prime minister told reporters after the 35-minute conversation.
“President Trump then made a strong remark, saying all options are on the table.”
Abe was meeting Trump at the Mar-a-Lago estate in February when North Korea launched a rocket, setting off a controversy when the leaders set up an impromptu, alfresco “situation room” in full view of the resort’s guests.
