AP Interview: On North Korea, senator says China a problem

WASHINGTON (AP) — China is more of a problem than a partner for the United States on dealing with nuclear-armed North Korea, a leading Republican senator and ally of President Donald Trump told the Associated Press during a wide-ranging interview Thursday.

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said China has been "lying for 25 years" about wanting to eliminate North Korea's nuclear capability. He accused Beijing of using North Korea as a diversion from economic warfare against the United States and other misbehavior.

"China benefits from a nuclear North Korea," said Cotton, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, in an AP Newsmaker interview.