Ed Markey says there’s no military solution in North Korea

US Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts.Charles Krupa/AP

WASHINGTON — Senator Ed Markey wants to see tougher sanctions on the North Korea aimed at bringing the rogue nation to talks with the U.S.

“I appreciate China’s support for the latest rounds of sanctions,” said Markey, speaking from a military base in Japan after a tour of Asia with other members of Congress. “I still don’t think it goes far enough.”

Markey’s trip included a visit to the China-North Korea border, where he witnessed a truckload of fuel heading to North Korea. Fuel imports among the goods that still can be imported to North Korea under the current rules.

Markey, who is the top Democrat on a Senate foreign relations panel that oversees Asia, in the final stretch of a Congressional trip to the region that also included stops in Japan and the Republic of Korea, where he met with president Moon Jae-in.

The trip comes amid a rocky period for U.S. relations with North Korea, which has angered the U.S. with a series of missile tests. In the past few weeks threats of military action have been issued by both North Korean ruler Kim Jong-un and President Trump. At one point Trump seemed to threaten nuclear war by warning that North Korea could see “fire and fury like the world has never seen.”

That kind of language has caused deep concerns in the area, Markey said.

“They do not want a second Korean war to be fought,” Markey said after meeting with regional leaders. “And they want for there to be a diplomatic resolution to the issue.”

However, they’re also worried about crossing President Trump, Markey said. “The leaders have decided to not publicly criticize President Trump,” Markey said.

Instead, Markey said Asian leaders are taking their cues from Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who has been less bombastic.

“We heard several times that the leaders in the region were encouraged by Tillerson’s positive comments about talking with North Korea in the future,” Markey said.

Tillerson, speaking Tuesday, offered conciliatory remarks after two weeks passed with no new missile tests from North Korea.

“Perhaps we’re seeing our pathway to sometime in the near future of having some dialogue,” Tillerson said. “We need to see more on their part. But I want to acknowledge the steps they’ve taken so far.”