CHINA/FOREIGN POLICY/NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR/TRADE WAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump said Monday [7-9-18] that he was confident North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would ‘honor the contract’ the two leaders signed last month in Singapore, while suggesting that China was ‘exerting negative pressure’ on the agreement amid its trade fight with the U.S…After their meeting last month in Singapore, the two leaders signed an agreement in which Mr. Kim said he would denuclearize North Korea—while offering no specifics on how or when—and Mr. Trump pledged to halt joint military exercises with South Korea. U.S. foreign policy analysts said the lack of details in the document suggested the U.S. had given away more than it had received in the talks. In his tweet Monday, Mr. Trump said China ‘may be exerting negative pressure on a deal because of our posture on Chinese Trade-Hope Not!’ On Friday [7-6-18], the U.S. and China slapped levies on $34 billion of each other’s exports, escalating a trade battle that both sides are bracing to fight. Chinese President Xi Jinping has instructed various levels of government to get ready for a full-bore trade war, according to Chinese officials. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited North Korea over the weekend to continue denuclearization talks, which ended with Pyongyang accusing the U.S. of ‘gangster-like tactics’ and increasing the ‘risk of war’ while saying it retained confidence in Mr. Trump to reach an agreement.”
–Rebecca Ballhaus, “Trump Confident North Korea Will ‘Honor the Contract’ to Denuclearize,” The Wall Street Journal, July 9, 2018 11:31 am