Secretary of State Tillerson wants more from China on North Korea threat

He gave no time frame for reforms to take place, saying in a letter to eight non-governmental organizations obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press that the USA will continue to participate in the council’s current session. Trump further irked Beijing by taking a call from the leader of Taiwan, regarded by China as integral part of its territories, and claiming that the one-China policy was up for negotiation.

This celebration may be premature, however, as Trump had simply reiterated the longstanding USA policy of support for the status quo that calls for the “peaceful resolution” of cross-Strait relations but still leaves open the question about Taiwan’s future political status.

Tillerson is on his first official trip to Asia.

The eight organizations had written to Tillerson asking the United States to maintain its engagement with the council.

Beijing has sought to pressure Seoul to drop THAAD.

Last week, the State Department announced that Tillerson would not allow the press to travel with him on his government plane during his trip to Japan, South Korea, and China, an extremely unusual step that will reportedly make it “exceedingly hard, if not impossible” for journalists to cover the proceedings.

“The US Japan alliance remains the cornerstone of peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region”, he told Kishida earlier at the start of their meeting, before he held talks Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

And China has its own problems with United States trade policy. China will want to know what that means for Sino-U.S. business relations. All three nations represent a key cog in overall diplomacy and also when it comes to North Korea’s nuclear proliferation, which NPR indicated was a top priority for Tillerson’s trip. Experts say it could have a nuclear-tipped missile that could reach the United States within a few years.

USA officials have been spooked by North Korea’s accelerating progress towards building an intercontinental ballistic missile that could threaten United States mainland cities.

Meanwhile, China has put the ball in the US court, with the Chinese foreign minister suggesting a deal whereby North Korea agrees to stop testing missiles and the United States and South Korea stop joint military exercises. Moreover, North Korea has clearly indicated its intention to target US military bases in these countries as well as to develop an inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM) nuclear capability that will directly threaten the USA mainland.

Japan is seeking clues to Washington’s policies both on North Korea and China’s increasing military and economic clout while hoping to steer clear of trade rows during Tillerson’s visit.

The North conducted two nuclear tests and more than 20 missile launches previous year.

“Several of our members have traveled commercially to meet Secretary Tillerson on the ground in Asia”.

He further pledged the USA commitment to defending Japan and other allies “is unwavering”.

Tokyo is also considering beefing up its ballistic missile defences with a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system or Aegis Ashore, a land-based version of the missile defence system used at sea.

While Tillerson will tell Beijing that the USA is exhausted of Chinese companies helping facilitate Pyongyang’s weapons program, he’ll also seek to engage Chinese support for a broader attempt to rein in North Korea – resembling the global coalition that created the Iran nuclear deal.

Tillerson will visit South Korea next, before heading to Beijing, where he is expected to firm up a US visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping next month to meet Trump.

Japan and South Korea both host tens of thousands of USA troops. But there are sharply differing views on how to change North Korea’s calculations.

But the military threat from North Korea is likely to dominate the discussion.