Donald Trump says drill cut is "a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile"

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited South Korea on Wednesday, his first trip there in five years, in a visit widely seen as an attempt to gain from friction between Washington and Seoul. Wang met his South Korean counterpart, Cho Hyun, after President Donald Trump shortened the Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercise by six days and partly reduced its size. Trump said he trimmed the drills because of expense and the way Pyongyang would read them; he also linked the decision to Seoul’s refusal to assist U.S. operations involving Iran. South Korean defense officials said the move surprised them, and the Blue House insisted the drills were not provocative. Chinese state media cast the visit as a chance to deepen ties, while Wang said Beijing sought a constructive role in regional peace.