President Trump on Wednesday announced new “major sanctions” will be imposed on North Korea in response to its latest missile test.
The president revealed the move after speaking with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who has come under pressure from Trump to isolate Pyongyang further over its nuclear program.
“Just spoke to President XI JINPING of China concerning the provocative actions of North Korea,” Trump tweeted. “Additional major sanctions will be imposed on North Korea today. This situation will be handled!”
Just spoke to President XI JINPING of China concerning the provocative actions of North Korea. Additional major sanctions will be imposed on North Korea today. This situation will be handled!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 29, 2017
White House spokesman Raj Shah declined to discuss the specific nature of the measures, or say when or if they will be implemented.
"I will say, though, that the maximum pressure campaign that the United States is part of has really yielded a lot of results," he told reporters aboard Air Force One.
The announcement comes one day after North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile, which broke a two-month pause in missile tests.
The launch alarmed U.S. officials and experts, who said the advanced missile might be capable of reaching America's East Coast.
North Korea’s launch poses a test to Trump’s efforts to get China to push its Communist neighbor to abandon its nuclear-weapons program.
It comes just weeks after the president’s trip to China, when he said Xi promised to “to use his great economic influence” over Pyongyang to maintain a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.
The White House said Trump “emphasized the need for China to use all available levers to convince North Korea to end its provocations and return to the path of denuclearization" during his call with Xi.
Trump’s announcement was overshadowed by his other Wednesday morning tweets, which contained videos posted by a far-right British figure that purported to show violence by Muslims, as well as others attacking NBC News after “Today” host Matt Lauer was fired in response to sexual harassment allegations.
