Trump Criticizes China Over Increasing Trade With N Korea After New Missile Test

US President Donald Trump expressed dissatisfaction with the increasing trade turnover between China and North Korea amid the escalating crisis on the Korean peninsula.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — North Korea announced on Tuesday it had successfully launched its first intercontinental ballistic missile at 00:30 GMT. Following the test launch, Trump said China could "put a heavy move" on North Korea and "end this nonsense once and for all."

"Trade between China and North Korea grew almost 40% in the first quarter. So much for China working with us — but we had to give it a try!" Trump tweeted.

Trade between China and North Korea grew almost 40% in the first quarter. So much for China working with us — but we had to give it a try!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 5 июля 2017 г.

On June 20, Trump said that the United States valued China's attempts to change the behavior of North Korea, though added that Beijing’s efforts had not been successful. Trump will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the G-20 summit in Hamburg on June 7-8.

China is by far the largest trading partner of North Korea. In April, the Chinese General Administration of Customs said trade between the two countries in the first quarter increased 37.4 percent year-over-year, even despite the UN sanctions on North Korean supplies of coal, the country's top export earner.