Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has blasted North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, accusing the rogue state of trafficking drugs to fund their nuclear programme.
Mr Turnbull, in Hong Kong for a brief official visit after the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Vietnam, likened North Korea to a criminal syndicate.
Calling the regime the single biggest threat to regional stability, Mr Turnbull said the city’s regulators need to deal harshly with North Korean financial interests.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull (pictured) has blasted North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, accusing the rogue state of trafficking drugs to fund their nuclear programme
Mr Turnbull, in Hong Kong for a brief official visit after the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Vietnam, likened North Korea to a criminal syndicate (pictured is Kim Jong-un)
Mr Turnbull slammed North Korea, saying they are among the most ‘cunning, sophisticated criminals’ in the world, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.
‘Whether it is arms, whether, whether it is cyber-crime, whether it is drugs they are constantly raising money to finance their nuclear program,’ Mr Turnbull said.
‘North Korea seeks to exploit busy trading hubs like Hong Kong in order to raise revenue for its illegal weapons programs,’ Mr Turnbull said, The Australian reported.
‘Australia will work with Hong Kong, and all our partners in Asia, to effectively implement UN Security Council sanctions against the North Korean regime.’
Calling the regime the single biggest threat to regional stability, Mr Turnbull (pictured, right, with US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping) said the city’s regulators need to deal harshly with North Korean financial interests
While in the Vietnamese city of Danang on the weekend for the APEC summit, Mr Turnbull urged member countries to crack down on the Kim regime.
He stressed the importance of China’s role, and said the relationship between US president Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping was ‘quite good’.
‘Just being with them together … I believe they have a personal chemistry and understanding … They do see eye to eye,’ he told reporters.
Mr Turnbull will travel to Manila this week for the East Asia Summit, where the prime minister will have a formal meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines.
The official visit to Hong Kong is the first by an Australian leader since 1984 and Mr Turnbull (pictured, left) met with Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam (pictured, right) on Sunday
Terrorism and the fight against ISIS in the southern Philippines city of Marawi is expected to be on the agenda.
Mr Turnbull said he would be working closely with Indonesian president Joko Widodo, President Trump and President Xi to combat extremism in the region.
The official visit to Hong Kong is the first by an Australian leader since 1984 and Mr Turnbull met with Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam ton Sunday.
The port city is home to the second largest community of Australian expatriates after London, with more than 100,000 residents.
‘With a by-election underway in New England and one pending in Bennelong, I actually am well aware that Hong Kong is the second largest polling booth in the Australian electoral system,’ Mr Turnbull said in a speech on Sunday.
Mr Turnbull will travel to Manila this week for the East Asia Summit, where the prime minister will have a formal meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte (pictured) of the Philippines