With tensions rising as North Korea defies the international community by continuing nuclear tests and the U.S. reportedly readying a package of more aggressive military and diplomatic options against the regime, China has told Trump administration officials that Beijing would back Pyongyang if the U.S. strikes North Korea first, NBC News reported.
China said, however, that if North Korea first hits a U.S. target, that “changes everything.”
Beijing’s warning comes as one of the tactics President Donald Trump is reportedly considering to deal with the crisis is enacting sanctions on Chinese banks doing business with North Korea.
That would be a severe escalation to the sanctions the U.S. has already adopted against Chinese entities that conduct business with North Korea, and Beijing has informed U.S. officials it would retaliate against such a move, according to NBC News.
The jockeying with Beijing on the North Korea issue comes after Trump spoke with
