WASHINGTON _ President Donald Trump is threatening to ramp up sanctions against North Korea, a strategy that so far has proved ineffective against its nuclear development, in retaliation for the latest ballistic missile test.
Trump tweeted Wednesday that he spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping about the test, after speaking late Tuesday with South Korea's president. The test came days after Trump's return from Asia, where the subject of North Korea was a primary focus of talks with both leaders as well as Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Trump already had stepped up sanctions and last week put North Korea back on the list of state sponsors of terrorism.
The "major sanctions" that Trump said would be imposed are a reminder of how limited American options are in facing off with a nuclear foe that now claims, with the new test, to have the capacity to reach Washington, D.C.
"This situation will be handled!" Trump tweeted, echoing words he used Tuesday after the nuclear test was revealed.
