North Korea overshadows BRICS summit as Beijing slates Trump's trade threat

North Korea overshadows BRICS summit as Beijing slates Trump's trade threat
By Euronews
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China’s President Xi jinping has warned that a dark shadow is looming over the world after more than 50 years of peace following North Korea’s sixth atomic test.

Playing host to a BRICS summit in the city of Ximen, the Chinese president tried to stick to economic issues in the wake of Sunday’s thermonuclear detonation despite mounting international pressure to do more about Pyongyang.

Addressing the summit of developing economies, Xi said: “We should push economic globalisation characterised by openness, inclusiveness, balance and win-for-all. We should build an open world economy, support the multi-lateral trade system and stand against protectionism.”

Donald Trump has repeatedly blamed Beijing for failing to do more to rein in North Korea, and appeared to do so again in a tweet, threatening to cut trade with countries that continue to deal with the reclusive nation.

Reacting angrily to Trump’s message, the spokesman for China’s foreign ministry Geng Shaung said: “What is definitely unacceptable to us is a situation in which on the one hand we work to resolve this issue peacefully but on the other hand our own interests are subject to sanctions and jeopardised. This is neither objective nor fair.”

While China accounts for roughly 90 percent of North Korea’s international trade, that figure is dwarfed by the business done between the US and China.

Experts however say halting commerce between the world’s two largest economies would be near to impossible.

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