North
Korea poses the “most dangerous and urgent threat” to the Asia-Pacific region,
visiting Vice President Mike Pence said Wednesday aboard a U.S. aircraft
carrier stationed in Japan.
“North Korea is the
most dangerous and urgent threat to the peace and security” of the region,
Pence told US and Japanese Navy personnel as he visited the USS Ronald Regan at
a US naval base in Yokosuka, south of Tokyo.
“As (U.S.) President (Donald) Trump has made clear
to the world, the era of strategic patience is over,” the vice president said.
However, he also said
the U.S. will “continue to work diligently” with Japan, China and other allies
in the region to “bring economic and diplomatic pressure to bear on” North
Korea.
Pence arrived in Tokyo on Tuesday for a two-day
visit, after wrapping up a three-day trip to South Korea, including a visit to
the Demilitarised Zone between North and South Korea.
He reassured Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on
Tuesday that the U.S. stands behind Japan in the face of a nuclear threat from
North Korea.
“We are with you 100 per cent,” he told the premier.
Pence’s visit to two
U.S. allies in East Asia, part of a four-nation tour set to include stops in
Indonesia and Australia, comes amid rising tensions over North Korea’s nuclear
and missile programmes.
His remarks also coincided with an embarrassing U.S.
admission on Tuesday that an aircraft carrier Trump said 10 days ago was
sailing to waters off the Korean Peninsula was in fact heading in the opposite
direction.
The USS Carl Vinson was now heading north to the
Western Pacific “as a prudent measure,” according to the US Pacific Command.
Under leader Kim Jong Un, North Korea has ramped up
its programmes, carrying out two nuclear tests and launching some 20 ballistic
missiles last year alone.
Pyongyang made a failed ballistic missile launch
attempt on Sunday, a day after the reclusive nation marked the
105th anniversary of
the birth of the late founding leader Kim Il Sung.
“Those who would
challenge our resolve or our readiness should know we will defeat any attack
and meet any use of conventional or nuclear weapons with an overwhelming and
effective American response,” Pence said later in Wednesday’s remarks.
“The United States of America will always seek
peace,” he said. “But under President Trump, the shield stands guard and the
sword stands ready.”
The nation
Post a Comment