North Korea's Nuclear Tunnels See Activity, Trump Says Chinese Pressure Failed

The U.S. spy satellites have detected new activity at North Korea’s underground nuclear test sites, according to reports by CNN. The activity appears to involve some modifications around one of the tunnel entrances to an underground test area but it is not yet clear if it is suggestive of another nuclear test by the country. The U.S. officials are concerned that a test could be initiated on Wednesday, coinciding with a visit by Chinese officials to Washington for high-level talks.

"While I greatly appreciate the efforts of President Xi and China to help with North Korea, it has not worked out. At least I know China tried," Trump wrote on Twitter. According to CNN, Trump’s aides are still trying to figure out what the president meant with his tweet which seemed like a conciliatory message to China.

Read: US Challenges China On North Korea Nuclear Threat Amid Unsanctioned Missile Launches

The U.S. government has been banking on China to rein in North Korea from conducting nuclear tests. Earlier in April, he had intensively lobbied the Chinese President Xi Jinping to impose sanctions on Chinese banks and other bodies that North Korea might rely on for financial help. Before the president’s tweet, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters, “We have been very forceful in the political and economic pressure that has been applied to North Korea. We’ll continue to apply that. Obviously, China has played and can continue to play a greater role helping to resolve this situation”.

If North Korea conducts a sixth nuclear test, it would mean that the pressure currently imposed by China is not effective, U.S. officials said. During the bilateral talks Wednesday, the U.S. is expected to urge China to toughen international sanctions against North Korea, apart from focusing on ways to increase the pressure on Pyongyang to discontinue its nuclear tests. However, it has been said that it would be at least a year before evaluating how successful China has been.

Relations between the U.S. and North Korea have rapidly deteriorated over the past months, due to the latter’s unwillingness to discontinue nuclear tests and, more recently, the death of Otto Warmbier. In a meeting with Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko, Trump criticized the way Warmbier's case was handled since his arrest saying, "What happened to Otto is a disgrace. And I spoke with his family. His family is incredible ... but he should have been brought home a long time ago.” In another tweet, he also condemned the brutality of the North Korean regime, Reuters reported.

There is also mounting pressure on the Trump administration to impose a travel ban on North Korea in the wake of Warmbier’s death.

Read: Donald Trump Says Otto Warmbier Death Caused By North Korea's 'Brutal Regime'

The possibility of bilateral talks with the country seems even less feasible in the current scenario. Asked Tuesday whether Trump would still consider meeting with Kim Jong Un given the right conditions, Spicer said: "Clearly we're moving further away, not closer, to those conditions being met”. Military options for North Korea have also been updated and will be presented to Trump in the event of a nuclear test.