What Will Trump Do About North Korea, China? White House Asia Policy Must Enforce Sanctions, Republican Warns

President-elect Donald Trump must hold Chinese companies accountable for propping up North Korea's isolated dictator, Kim Jong Un, according to one Republican lawmaker. With Republicans and Democrats alike questioning Trump's foreign policy credentials after he praised Russia and threatened to start a trade war with Mexico and China, Republican Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) is urging Trump to go further and take an even tougher stance on Asia.

Following North Korea's reported plans to test a new missile, Gardner called for the Trump administration, which takes office Jan. 20, to further implement the North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act passed in February. Conservatives have argued that Obama has not enforced the blacklists called for under the law.

"In particular, I urge the new administration to utilize the so-called 'secondary sanctions,' which target outside entities, or companies, that help Pyongyang engage in illicit behavior," Gardner wrote in an op-ed Monday published by CNN.. "Many of these companies are based in the People's Republic of China, and the U.S. must not be afraid to anger Beijing by going after them."

Gardner was responding to Kim’s revelation Sunday that North Korea planned to test an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) for the first time, The New York Times reported. Kim’s authoritarian regime conducted more than 20 ballistic missile tests in 2016 but has never tested an ICBM, which is capable of traveling more than 3,000 miles.

The revelation of such a test, combined with Kim’s widely reported violent nature and immature approach to leadership, has fueled speculation that a new long-range missile test could coincide with his birthday, Sunday, or that he’s testing Trump ahead of Inauguration Day, The Guardian reported.

"While sanctions are an important tool to deter Pyongyang, it is also essential that the U.S. reassure our allies, South Korea and Japan, through action that any aggression from North Korea will result in unwavering diplomatic and military support from the United States. The US should continue with show of force exercises near North Korea to demonstrate to the regime that it will pay a heavy price for any aggression to our allies in the region, such as the B-1 nuclear bomber overflights in September," Gardner wrote.

On Monday, Trump fired back at Kim’s perceived threat as well as China’s appeared lack of help. He tweeted: "China has been taking out massive amounts of money & wealth from the U.S. in totally one-sided trade, but won't help with North Korea. Nice!"

When it comes to relations with Far East nations or foreign policy in general, many Republicans and Democrats have criticized Trump for calling out foreign nations via social media, including Mexico and China. More recently, Trump faced significant backlash for taking a call from Taiwan’s president, which angered China and bucked years of longstanding policies in regards to Taiwan.

Gardner has also occasionally found himself on the other side of Trump's policies. He recently went after Russia for its alleged hacking of the 2016 presidential election, while Trump has said Russia had nothing to do with leaked Democratic emails that may have hurt Hillary Clinton's White House ambitions.