WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon said Wednesday it has withdrawn an invitation for China to participate in a multinational naval exercise the U.S. is hosting this summer, a sign of fresh tension between Pacific powers.
The move comes amid high-stakes maneuvering over North Korea’s nuclear program, which is scheduled to be the subject of a meeting in June between President Donald Trump and the North’s leader, Kim Jong Un. Trump on Tuesday said he suspected that the North’s recent talk of scrapping the summit could reflect influence from Chinese President Xi Jinping, who recently met with Kim.