PALM BEACH — U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday brushed off North Korea’s warning of a “Christmas gift,” saying the United States would “deal with it very successfully,” amid U.S. concerns that Pyongyang might be preparing a long-range missile test. China, North Korea’s most important backer, meanwhile, urged Washington to take “concrete steps” as soon as possible to implement agreements reached during last year’s summit between Trump and North Korea leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore. “We’ll find out what the surprise is and we’ll deal with it very successfully,” Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort. Trump has repeatedly held up the test suspensions as evidence that his policy of engaging with North Korea works. North Korea has demanded an end to international sanctions while the United States says Pyongyang must first commit to giving up its nuclear weapons.

Source: National Post December 24, 2019 18:00 UTC