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Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump during their summit at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. (AFP/Yonhap News)

Chinese President Xi Jinping asked US President Donald Trump for a 100-day grace period on actions in relation to the North Korean nuclear and missile issues, Japan‘s Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported on May 22.

Xi communicated the message to Trump during their Apr. 6-7 summit, the newspaper reported, citing US and Japanese government sources speaking on condition of anonymity. During the meeting at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, Trump requested stiffer sanctions against Pyongyang from China, which accounts for over 90% of North Korea’s trade, the report said. Trump was also quoted as saying he would consider a secondary boycott targeting Chinese businesses involved in transactions with the North if China did not comply.

In response, Xi reportedly asked for 100-day grace period before the US took any specific action. Some Chinese businesses would be unable to engage in transactions with US counterparts if Washington targets major financial institutions and companies doing with business with the North for sanctions. The Asahi Shimbun reported Xi as hinting that Beijing would apply tougher pressure on North Korea over the 100-day period, which would overlap with a 100-day plan for trade agreed upon by the two leaders at the Mar-a-Lago summit. US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross previously said the aim of the 100-day plan was to increase US exports and reduce the trade deficit between the two sides.

The newspaper also reported Xi and Trump as agreeing to impose individual sanctions in the event of another “serious provocation” from North Korea, adding that the individual sanctions China was considering involved regulations on remittances and crude oil exports to the North.

But the newspaper went to say that with North Korea continuing to launch missiles, it was unclear how effective the 100-day grace period has been if the remarks were true. It is also noted the possibility that the US and China would discuss a response to North Korea again at the G-20 summit in early July, which falls within the grace period.

By Cho Ki-weon, Tokyo correspondent

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]