President-elect Donald Trump has dismissed North Korea’s claim to be developing missiles capable of striking America.
In a tweet, Donald Trump derided Kim Jong-un’s claims that preparations were in the final stage, saying: “It won’t happen.”
It was not clear if Donald Trump was expressing doubts about North Korea’s nuclear capabilities or was planning preventative action.
Donald Trump also berated China for failing to help rein in its ally North Korea.
He tweeted: “China has been taking out massive amounts of money & wealth from the U.S. in totally one-sided trade, but won’t help with North Korea. Nice!”
A spokesman for China’s foreign affairs ministry said Beijing’s efforts on Korean peninsula denuclearization were “perfectly obvious”.
China had “proactively participated” in UN discussions and jointly passed several resolutions, the spokesman pointed out.
In his New Year message on January 1, Kim Jong-un said North Korea was close to testing long-range missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
Kim Jong-un said North Korea was now a “military power of the East that cannot be touched by even the strongest enemy”.
North Korea has conducted two nuclear tests over 2016, raising fears that it has made significant nuclear advances.
However, it has never successfully test-fired long-range missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
Experts estimate it might take less than five years. UN resolutions call for an end to North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests.
