US vows to keep up pressure on Syria after missile strikes

Following a second day of bilateral talks, press secretary Sean Spicer said both China and the USA agreed to increase cooperation between the two superpowers to “convince North Korea to peacefully resolve the issue and dismantle its illegal nuclear and missile programs” and to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons in the Korean peninsula.

On Friday, U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley told an emergency meeting of the Security Counsel that the United States “is prepared to do more, but we hope that will not be necessary”. But unlike Syria, experts warn that North Korea has a means of striking back if provoked.

“We have 20 years of diplomacy and sanctions under our belt that has failed to stop the North Korean program”, one senior intelligence official involved in the review told NBC News.

However, Pyongyang’s response suggested the reclusive state was determined to continue with its nuclear weapons programme.

USA officials said the two sides agreed to increase cooperation on trying to get North Korea’s to abandon its nuclear weapons program, and China acknowledged the need for more balanced trade with the U.S.

They cited an unnamed government spokesman saying Friday’s strike was an “intolerable act of aggression against a sovereign state”.

The North has carried out five nuclear tests – two of them previous year – and expert satellite imagery analysis suggests it could well be preparing for a sixth. US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin refused to categorically rule out that the United States would move to designate China a currency manipulator, for example.

The North called the airstrikes “absolutely unpardonable” and said they prove its nuclear weapons are justified to protect the country against Washington’s “evermore reckless moves for a war”.

The White House, in its statement released Sunday about the previous day’s call, said Trump thanked Abe for his support of the USA missile strikes and they “also agreed to further cooperation on a range of regional issues, including the threat posed by North Korea”. The two leaders publicly played down their economic and political disputes and addressed their common interest in reining in North Korea’s mercurial leader, Kim Jong Un. Analysts said the omission was probably intentional, a response to the attack on Syria.

As if to underline the point, North Korean state media released photos of a smiling Kim inspecting a mushroom farm.

“We would like to see more results-oriented outcomes coming out of these new dialogues and fewer laundry lists, ‘ said Beijing-based Jacob Parker, vice president of China operations at the U.S”.

That unflattering assessment reflected China’s official opposition to military interventions in the affairs of other countries.

After arriving in Seoul on Monday, the Chinese envoy in charge of the North Korean issue will talk with South Korea’s representative Kim Hong-kyun, according to the ministry. “This strike bolsters the credibility of an implied threat by Trump”.

Among the questions being considered is what level of military support to give Syrian rebel forces, potential military cooperation with Russian Federation against the Islamic State, how to deal with meddling in the region by Iran and what to do about fighting between Turkish government forces and autonomous Kurdish fighters in northern Syria.

Last month, Assad said in a rare interview on Chinese television that Syria’s relationship with China “is going to be on the rise”. “It’s not like Iraq“, Jia said.