Trump nixes North Korea trip by Secretary of State one day after Pompeo announced it

Deirdre Shesgreen | USA TODAY

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump on Friday nixed a planned trip to North Korea by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, suggesting Kim Jong Un's regime had not made good on promises to relinquish its nuclear weapons arsenal.

Trump announced the cancellation in a series of tweets Friday, just one day after Pompeo said he would be traveling to North Korea next week to press that country on its pledge to denuclearize. Pompeo announced the trip in a carefully orchestrated appearance on Thursday with Stephen Biegun, who was just named as the Trump administration’s special representative for North Korea.

But on Friday, Trump said he asked Pompeo not to go to North Korea because “because I feel we are not making sufficient progress with respect to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”

The president said Pompeo would go at a later date, after the U.S. and China resolve an escalating trade war that has complicated America’s diplomatic efforts in North Korea.

“Secretary Pompeo looks forward to going to North Korea in the near future, most likely after our Trading relationship with China is resolved," Trump tweeted. "In the meantime I would like to send my warmest regards and respect to Chairman Kim. I look forward to seeing him soon!”

...Secretary Pompeo looks forward to going to North Korea in the near future, most likely after our Trading relationship with China is resolved. In the meantime I would like to send my warmest regards and respect to Chairman Kim. I look forward to seeing him soon! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 24, 2018

During a highly publicized summit on June 12 in Singapore, Trump and Kim signed a vaguely worded agreement in which North Korea promised to work toward a “complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.” But the North Koreans have not taken any visible, concrete steps toward fulfilling that pledge.

And on Monday, a United Nations watchdog organization reported there were no signs that Kim Jong Un's government has stopped its nuclear weapons activities. The International Atomic Energy Agency said "the continuation and further development" of North Korea's nuclear program is "cause for grave concern," according to the IAEA's Aug. 20 report.

In his tweet, Trump suggested China was partly to blame for the lack of progress on denculearization. China is North Korea’s biggest trade partner, giving its leaders significant leverage over Kim's regime. The U.S. has pushed China to use its influence to force North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons.

But the Trump administration's growing trade battle with China has limited the president's ability to get cooperation on North Korea. Trump has slapped a series of tariffs on Chinese goods, prompting China to respond in kind.

Just this week, the Trump administration levied 25 percent tariffs on $16 billion in Chinese imports, a move that could mean U.S. consumers will pay more for dozens of products including farm equipment, motorcycles, mopeds, electronics and plastics. China retaliated with an equal amount of tariffs on more U.S. imports, including large passenger cars, motorcycles and baby carriages.

In one tweet, Trump said that "... because of our much tougher Trading stance with China, I do not believe they are helping with the process of denuclearization as they once were."

Harry J. Kazianis, a North Korea expert with Center for the National Interest, a Washington-based foreign policy think tank, said China and North Korea both share blame for the lack of progress in denuclearization.

"China might be using North Korea as a the ultimate bargaining chip, saying to Trump if you're not willing to play ball with us on trade, we’re not willing to play ball with you on North Korea," Kazianis said.

He said Trump's abrupt decision to nix Pompeo's trip may be more strategic than it looks. He noted that Trump initially cancelled his summit with Kim, citing "open hostility" he said Kim's regime had displayed in statements at the time. But Trump reversed course a week later after North Korea dispatched a top-level Kim deputy to Washington in an effort to repair relations.

"This might be a strategic play by Trump," Kazianis said.

Retired Gen. Jack Keane, former vice chief of staff of the U.S. Army, said Friday that North Korea is not interested in halting its nuclear ambitions.

"I think it's confirmation of what we've been receiving through intelligence leaks...North Korea not only is not denuclearizing, they are in fact, and indeed, advancing their program," he told Fox News.

More: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to return to North Korea for nuclear talks