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In State Visit to Beijing, Trump Presses China over North Korea
President Trump has begun talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing, following a lavish welcome on Wednesday that was billed as a “state visit-plus” and included the first state dinner for a U.S. president inside the Forbidden City. The welcoming ceremony outside Beijing’s Great Hall of the People was broadcast live on state television — unprecedented treatment for a visiting leader. Trump used the talks to call on China to sever ties with North Korea.
“The United States is committed to the complete and permanent denuclearization of North Korea. So important. China can fix this problem easily and quickly. And I am calling on China and your great president to hopefully work on it very hard. I know one thing about your president: If he works on it hard, it will happen. There’s no doubt about it. They know.” — President Donald Trump
China insists it is already fully enforcing U.N. sanctions. Human rights activists and even Trump’s fellow Republicans have urged him to use the trip to challenge China over its crackdown on dissidents and call for the release of political prisoners. Trump is on a five-nation tour in Asia and will next head to Vietnam, where he’s expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump will wrap his Asia trip in the Philippines. After headlines, we’ll go to Beijing for more on Trump’s visit to China.