06 March 2017

News Story: Top U.S. diplomat eyes debut trip to Japan, S. Korea, China

WASHINGTON (Kyodo) -- U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson plans to visit Japan, South Korea and China later this month mainly for talks on North Korean issues, diplomatic sources said Friday.

In what will be his first trip to the region since becoming President Donald Trump's top diplomat on Feb. 1, Tillerson is arranging a visit to Japan on March 17 and 18 for talks with Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, the sources said.

The planned trip comes as the Trump administration is reportedly reviewing the U.S. policy toward North Korea, ranging from putting the country back on a list of state sponsors of terrorism to use of military force and regime change to curb a nuclear threat posed by Pyongyang.

During a visit to Beijing, Tillerson plans to meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and possibly with President Xi Jinping, according to the sources.

The two sides are expected to coordinate a meeting between Xi and Trump in the United States as early as April, they said.

Tillerson is expected to urge China, which has considerable economic leverage on North Korea, to strengthen pressure on North Korea. Trump has complained Beijing was not doing enough to press Pyongyang to rein in its development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

Tillerson also plans to seek China's approval of the planned deployment in South Korea of an advanced U.S. missile defense system known as the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, or THAAD, as part of a greater deterrence effort against North Korea.

Read the full story at The Mainichi