WASHINGTON (Kyodo) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday he is "very angry" at North Korea's ballistic missile test earlier this month, and that boosting a missile defense system for Japan and South Korea is among the options to counter provocative acts by Pyongyang.
In an interview with Reuters news agency, Trump said he wants to build up the U.S. nuclear arsenal to ensure it is at the "top of the pack," reversing his predecessor Barack Obama's goal of achieving a world without nuclear weapons.
Trump said China could solve North Korea's nuclear issue "very easily if they want to," urging Beijing to exert more influence on Pyongyang to get it to rein in its missile and nuclear weapons programs, which violate U.N. Security Council resolutions.
"There's talks of a lot more than that," Trump was quoted as saying, when asked about the missile defense system.
"We'll see what happens. But it's a very dangerous situation, and China can end it very quickly in my opinion."
North Korea test-fired what it said was a new type of medium- to long-range ballistic missile on Feb. 12, Pyongyang's first provocative act since Trump was sworn in on Jan. 20.
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