Chinese President Xi Jinping, seen in this July 28, 2017 photo in Beijing, spoke to President Trump via phone on Friday. (Ng Han Guan/AP)Chinese President Xi Jinping urged President Trump to exercise restraint over tensions with North Korea during a phone call Friday night, Chinese state media reported. In his latest salvos in the war of words, Trump said Friday that the U.S. military was “locked and loaded” and that North Korea would “truly regret it” if it attacked Guam. It argues that Washington’s long-standing belligerence towards North Korea helps explain why the regime has chosen to develop a nuclear weapons program — dodging its own responsibility for propping up the North Korean government. Then the United States and South Korea on Aug. 21 will begin joint military exercises, drills that North Korea considers preparation for an invasion.

Source: Washington Post August 12, 2017 05:49 UTC