SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea fired a ballistic missile off its east coast on Wednesday, a day before President Trump was to host his Chinese counterpart, President Xi Jinping, at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida for their first summit meeting.
The missile test is likely to intensify differences between Mr. Trump and Mr. Xi over how to deal with the recalcitrant government in North Korea.
The timing is also a deep embarrassment for Mr. Xi as the leader of China, which for decades has been the North’s closest ally. China accounts for about 90 percent of the North’s trade and is a major supplier of oil for the country. But in the eyes of Washington, China has been reluctant to use its economic leverage forcibly enough to stop the North’s growing nuclear and missile threats.
