Tillerson to Focus on North Korea Crisis on Latest China Trip

Rex Tillerson
WASHINGTON, DC – September 12: U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrives for a photo opportunity with Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi at the State Department September 12, 2017 in Washington, DC. Tillerson and Jiechi are meeting amid heightened tensions surrounding North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.(Photo by Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images)

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson heads to China this weekend for the second time since taking office in February, where he will meet with his counterpart, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and other Chinese leaders. The trip’s intended purpose is to prepare for President Donald Trump’s state visit to Beijing in November – but other pressing issues, like North Korea and trade policy, will also top the agenda.

Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un have been in a tit-for-tat of heightened rhetoric over the past few months. Trump at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) earlier this month called Kim “rocket man” who is “on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime,” adding “if it [the United States] is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea.”

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