*BEIJING/WASHINGTON: China on Thursday derided the “irresponsible andabsurd logic” of the United States after President Donald Trump accusedBeijing of making Washington’s relationship with North Korea moredifficult.*

Trump doubled down on his suggestion that China was not helping to rein inits Cold War-era ally — a charge he first levelled when he cancelled a tripto North Korea by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that was due to take placethis week.

“A lot of people, like me, feel that the US is first in the world when itcomes to twisting the truth, and irresponsible and absurd logic,” Chineseforeign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular press briefing.

“This logic is not easily understood by all,” Hua said.

Trump’s refusal to direct criticism at North Korean leader Kim Jong Un andinstead blame other parties for a lack of progress comes despite reportsthe US received a belligerent letter from Pyongyang, which prompted Pompeoto cancel a planned trip to North Korea last weekend.

“We hope the US can play a positive and constructive role in settling theissue just like the Chinese. To solve the problem, it should look at itselfinstead of shifting blame,” Hua added.

Speaking at the White House on Wednesday, Trump said: “China makes it muchmore difficult in terms of our relationship with North Korea”.

“Part of the North Korea problem is caused by the trade disputes withChina,” Trump said.

But he insisted his ties with Chinese President Xi Jinping were “great” andthat he had a “fantastic relationship” with North Korean leader Kim JongUn, whom he met in Singapore in June.

The US president said he was not considering resuming joint militaryexercises on the Korean Peninsula that Pyongyang considers “provocative.”

Beijing is Pyongyang’s sole major ally, and the main transit country forany goods entering the North. Trump said that China — angered by US moveson trade — is no longer being as tough as it could be on North Korea.

“We know that China is providing North Korea with considerable aid,including money, fuel, fertilizer and various other commodities. This isnot helpful!” he tweeted on Wednesday evening.

On the subject of military exercises, which the US suspended as a “goodfaith” measure following Trump’s summit with Kim, the president said “thereis no reason at this time to be spending large amounts of money on jointUS-South Korea war games” though added these could resume if the need arose.

It came a day after Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said the Pentagon was notplanning to suspend any more military drills, before appearing to backtrackon Wednesday by insisting “no decisions” had been made on the matter.

Trump also reiterated his wish to fundamentally alter the trade status quobetween the United States and China, the world’s top two economies.

He said he needed to take a tough stance with Beijing on trade “because itwas really not fair to our country,” criticising his predecessors who“closed their eyes” to the issue.

In June, Trump and Kim pledged to work toward the “completedenuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula” although their joint statementwas short on details for how that might be achieved.

Efforts stalled several weeks ago, and last week, Trump ordered Secretaryof State Mike Pompeo to cancel a planned trip to Pyongyang. At the time,Trump said that he did not believe China was helping in thedenuclearisation process due to Washington’s tougher stance on trade.

Pompeo said Tuesday that Washington remains ready to engage “when it isclear that Chairman Kim stands ready to deliver on the commitments that hemade at the Singapore summit to President Trump to completely denucleariseNorth Korea”.

According to the Washington Post, Pyongyang sent Pompeo a belligerentletter that prompted him to cancel the visit, though its precise contentswere not known.

US news site Vox meanwhile reported that Trump at June’s summit pledged tosign a declaration ending the Korean War, and now the two countries remaindeadlocked over who will follow through on their commitment first.

On Wednesday, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reportersthat Washington believes “denuclearisation has to take place before we getto other parts,” confirming that included such a declaration. – APP/AFP