CHINA/FOREIGN POLICY/NORTH KOREA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Chinese officials have told the U.S. that they’ve tightened inspections and policing along the border with North Korea as part of U.N. sanctions aimed at halting Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile activities, the top U.S. diplomat for East Asia said Friday [5-26-17].
Beijing’s action reflects a growing awareness about the urgent need for China to pressure North Korea into halting its testing of missiles and nuclear bombs, Acting Assistant Secretary of State Susan Thornton told reporters in Beijing. President Donald Trump’s administration has made a renewed push to enlist Beijing’s help in those efforts following a meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping last month.
Touching on other areas of the relationship, Thornton said the new administration has not changed its commitment to greater engagement with countries in the Asia-Pacific region or its approach to naval operations in the disputed South China Sea.
On North Korea, the U.S. has seen a ‘shift in emphasis’ in China’s approach to its fellow communist neighbor, Thornton said.”
-Christopher Bodeen, “China tightens border controls with N. Korea: U.S. diplomat,” USA Today, May 26, 2017 4:59pm