The United States' work with China to resolve the problem of North Korea's nuclear missile program will not hinder Washington's get-tough stance on Beijing's trade policy, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said Thursday.
In remarks to Politico's Pro Policy Summit, Ross said Pyongyang's aggressive nuclear missile buildup is the Trump administration's "No. 1 priority," Politico reported.
"The primary responsibility of the president is to protect the American people, so that has to be the [essential condition]," Ross said, adding, however, there is "nothing logically inconsistent with that and having a trade policy that's better economically for us."
President Donald Trump has already threatened to cut off all trade with any countries doing business with Pyongyang — a move likely aimed almost entirely at Beijing.
Ross also praised the president's use of Twitter as his bully pulpit to to call out individual companies and industries.
"You achieve a lot by doing that," Ross said.
"I don't think that some of the trade cases that are going to [the World Trade Organization] would have gone nearly as well if people didn't realize that he is somewhat skeptical about WTO," Ross said.
"I don't think a lot of the corporate decisions about whether or not to go offshore would have been made the same way without the tweets."
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