United States President Donald Trump accused China of complicating Washington's relationship with North Korea by rendering its ally economic assistance, but Beijing dismissed this as "irrational and absurd".
Mr Trump's claim comes as talks with North Korea on its pledge to denuclearise are at a standstill. Washington is reported to have received a belligerent letter from Pyongyang which prompted Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to cancel a planned trip to North Korea last weekend.
"China makes it much more difficult in terms of our relationship with North Korea," Mr Trump said at the White House on Wednesday, although he insisted his ties with Chinese President Xi Jinping were "great".
"Part of the North Korea problem is caused by the trade disputes with China," he said.
Mr Trump also remarked on his "fantastic relationship" with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, whom he met in Singapore in June.
He said he was not considering resuming joint military exercises with South Korea on the Korean Peninsula, drills which Pyongyang considers "provocative".
"A lot of people, like me, feel that the US is first in the world when it comes to twisting the truth, and irresponsible and absurd logic," Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Thursday.
"We hope the US can play a positive and constructive role in settling the issue just like the Chinese. To solve the problem, it should look at itself instead of shifting blame."
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Beijing is Pyongyang's sole major ally, and the main transit country for any goods entering the North. Mr Trump said that China — angered by US moves on trade — is no longer being as tough as it could be on North Korea.
"We know that China is providing North Korea with considerable aid, including money, fuel, fertiliser and various other commodities. This is not helpful!" he tweeted on Wednesday.
On the subject of military exercises, which the US suspended as a "good faith" measure following Mr Trump's summit with Mr Kim, the president said "there is no reason at this time to be spending large amounts of money on joint US-South Korea war games".
But he added these could resume if the need arose.
On Tuesday, Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said the Pentagon was not planning to suspend any more military drills, but then he appeared to backtrack on Wednesday, insisting "no decisions" had been made.
Mr Trump also reiterated his wish to fundamentally alter the trade status quo between the US and China, the world's top two economies.
He said he needed to take a tough stance with Beijing on trade "because it was really not fair to our country," criticising his predecessors who "closed their eyes" to the issue.
In June, Mr Trump and Mr Kim pledged to work towards the complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.
But those efforts stalled several weeks ago, and last week, Mr Trump ordered Mr Pompeo to cancel a planned trip to Pyongyang.
Mr Pompeo said on Tuesday that Washington remains ready to engage "when it is clear that Chairman Kim stands ready to deliver on the commitments that he made at the Singapore summit to President Trump to completely denuclearise North Korea".
According to the Washington Post, Pyongyang sent Mr Pompeo a belligerent letter that prompted him to cancel the visit, though its precise contents were unknown.
US news site Vox meanwhile reported that President Trump at June's summit pledged to sign a declaration ending the Korean War, and now the two countries were in deadlocked over who will follow through on their commitment first.
On Wednesday, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Washington believes "denuclearisation has to take place before we get to other parts," confirming that included such a declaration.
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THE BIO
Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.
Favourite book: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.
Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.
Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.
RESULT
Bayern Munich 0 AC Milan 4
Milan: Kessie (14'), Cutrone (25', 43'), Calhanoglu (85')
Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
The Gentlemen
Director: Guy Ritchie
Stars: Colin Farrell, Hugh Grant
Three out of five stars
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 48V hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh289,000
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
