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North Korea has persistently threatened a nuclear attack on the United States and in response, the US has warned of military action. Mr Trump warned in a recent speech that China could face a “big problem” with US ally Japan over North Korea’s threat of war. Donald Trump is the first US president to penalise a Chinese bank for helping North Korea dodge United Nations economic sanctions. But “Nuclear Showdown” author Gordon Chang said Donald Trump’s speech was a “warning to China” and they must understand that Trump will do “everything possible to defend the American people.”

Getty/Fox News North Korea news: Donald Trump will use Japan against China to quell North Korea threat

Speaking to Fox News, he said: “This is a reversal of decades of American policy where we restrain the Japanese. “Now what [Trump is] doing is he’s saying to China ‘Look, I’m going to use the same tactics that you use. You use North Korea as a proxy against us. I’m going to use Japan as a proxy against you’. “And I think people in Beijing must be pretty nervous right now because that is such a monumental change for us.” Trump reiterated his support for Japan in a recent speech and said the US ally is a “warrior nation”. He said: “I tell China and I tell everyone else that listens, I mean, you’re gonna have yourself a big problem with Japan pretty soon if you allow this to continue with North Korea.”