China is the only international ally of North Korea and its biggest partner in trade. China’s leader, President Xi Jinping, is unhappy with the recent nuclear test that was carried out by the North's leader Kim Jong-un’s regime in Pyongyang. Xi hasn’t mentioned Kim by name since the test on Sunday, but he threatened Kim with sanctions for further nuclear tests many nuclear tests ago, so he can’t be happy with it.
Mike Chinoy, CNN’s expert in Beijing politics and the North Korean nuclear crisis, said, “The Chinese have been pressing North Korea very hard not to stage a nuclear test.” He also noted how the test came just before the Brics summit in China where various world leaders meet.
According to Chinoy, this is “a big, big deal for the Chinese” and “a deliberate poke in the eye" from the North.
America may have to cut ties with China
US President Donald Trump tweeted, “The United States is considering, in addition to other options, stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea.” This would mean cutting short the relationship he’s been trying to build between the United States and China with his new friend, Chinese President Xi Jinping. According to one analyst, it's not a real friendship anyway.
