US President Donald Trump suggested on Monday that China might be “exerting negative pressure” on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) because of trade tensions with the United States, and this might be the reason behind the DPRK’s recent criticism of the United States.

Trump said on Twitter: “I have confidence that Kim Jong Un will honor the contract we signed &, even more importantly, our handshake. We agreed to the denuclearization of North Korea. China, on the other hand, may be exerting negative pressure on a deal because of our posture on Chinese Trade-Hope Not!”

At a regular press conference on Tuesday, July 10, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying responded to this matter.

Hua provided a three-sentence response: “I have three points to make. First, China’s position on the Korean Peninsula issue is consistent. Second, China’s attitude on the China-US trade issues is clear. Third, China is a trustworthy and responsible major country.”

Moreover, people around the world have expressed disbelief that Trump would point the finger at China for his administration’s own foreign-policy failures.

In a direct response to Trump, a Twitter user suggested that the US president was just making excuses for why things are not going his way.

And one user pointed out that the “contract” they signed is a non-binding understanding, calling Trump’s choice of words “alternative facts.”

Of course, if the US-DPRK nuclear deal falls through, meaning it does not happen, then Trump will try to deflect the blame, at least according to a Twitter user by the name of Hathgramma, who responded to a report by CBC News Alerts.

Regarding the relationship between the US and the DPRK, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said on July 5 that China is glad to see that the two sides can step up contacts and negotiations, meet each other halfway and demonstrate goodwill toward each other, follow through on the consensus reached at the DPRK-US Singapore Summit on June 12, and further promote the denuclearization process of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula, adding that China wants to see positive outcomes reached by the two sides through direct contacts and dialogue.

As the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, China is a trustworthy and responsible major country. It is ridiculous to accuse China of meddling. As stated on multiple occasions, China supports the US and the DPRK in building mutual trust and addressing security concerns through peaceful means and dialogue.

It should also be pointed out that China recently played a key role in starting talks for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

In an interview with People’s Daily on April 9, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who was visiting China at the invitation of President Xi Jinping, said China is important for peaceful talks between the two Koreas and will play a major role going forward. Guterres said that China was “irreplaceable” in these peace talks and that war would have happened if a similar issue happened elsewhere in areas like the Southern Pacific or Africa.

Hopefully, the DPRK and US will continue working toward realizing a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.