British Prime Minister Theresa May has called for more sanctions on North Korea and echoed Donald J. Trump by slamming China for not doing more.
Speaking in Japan on Wednesday morning, Mrs. May’s message to the Chinese premier was clear: he must use his nation’s power to reign in the increasingly aggressive Kim Jong-un.
According to The Telegraph, Mrs. May said China must do “everything it can” to deter North Korea’s “outrageous” provocations, adding:
“The actions of North Korea are illegal, they are significant actions of provocation, it’s outrageous, that’s why we will be redoubling our efforts with our international partners to put pressure on North Korea to stop these illegal activities.
“China has a key role to play in this… I have said this to President Xi, I know others have as well, we think that China has that important role to play and we would encourage China to do everything it can to bring pressure to bear on North Korea to stop this.
“The UK is looking at the discussion around further sanctions and the sort of change that China can bring. We see China as being the key in this.”
Pressed on whether the UK could back or be involved in military action, or seek to use cyber attacks to blunt North Korea’s efforts, Mrs. May reiterated the need for coordinated action including China.
“What is the UK doing? What we’re doing is working with our international partners,” she said.
“We want to continue to bring pressure on North Korea to ensure that they desist this action. And we see that the best way of doing is for China to be bringing pressure to bear on North Korea.”
She added: “It’s about the sort of pressure and change that China can bring. I think they’re a key player in this. In terms of what we’re doing, we’re looking to work with our partners. But crucially, we see China as being the key in this.”