Who trades with North Korea?
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un waves to the people during a parade in Pyongyang on July 27, 2013.
President Donald Trump tweeted over the weekend that the US is "considering stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea."
According to Isaac Stone Fish, a senior fellow at the Asia Society in New York, this is “one of the most absurd and threatening things Trump has ever said.”
North Korea has hundreds of trade partners including the following: China, Russia, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Germany, Portugal, France, Burkina Faso, Mexico, Philippines and Thailand.
If the US were to stop trading with all of those countries, the economy would suffer a severe downturn, not to mention that it would increase tensions even more between the US and China.
“It’s just crazy to me,” says Isaac Stone Fish. “It would be disastrous.”
You can listen to more of Isaac Stone Fish’s analysis of Trump’s tweet on The World segment above.
The story you just read is not locked behind a paywall because listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. If you’ve been thinking about making a donation, this is the best time to do it. Your support will get our fundraiser off to a solid start and help keep our newsroom on strong footing. If you believe in our work, will you give today? We need your help now more than ever!