Trump says US will act alone on North Korea if China fails to help

US President Donald Trump delivered an ultimatum to China yesterday, insisting that if Beijing failed to use its influence on North Korea to disable the country’s nuclear programme, America would confront the nation on its own.

Speaking before his first meeting with President Xi this week, Trump said that he was “totally” prepared to take unilateral action on the Korean peninsula to halt Kim Jong-un’s nuclear ambitions.

“If China is not going to solve North Korea, we will,” Trump said. “China will either decide to help us with North Korea, or they won’t. And if they do, that will be very good for China, and if they don’t it won’t be good for anyone.”

Pressed on whether he thought he could succeed alone, he replied: "Totally."

The comments, in an interview published on Sunday by the Financial Times, appeared designed to pressure Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of his visit to Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida this week, where the two leaders are expected to discuss North Korea, China’s ambitions in the South China Sea and trade.

Asked what incentive the United States had to offer China, Trump replied: "Trade is the incentive. It is all about trade."

Asked how he would tackle North Korea, Trump said: “I’m not going to tell you. You know, I am not the United States of the past where we tell you where we are going to hit in the Middle East.”

Trump said he had “great respect” for Xi and “great respect for China”, adding: “I would not be at all surprised if we did something that would be very dramatic and good for both countries and I hope so.”