Prayut’s visit to the White House became an issue after Trump invited him in April, but the schedule has not been fixed since then. Trump invited leaders from several Southeast Asia countries, including the Philippines and Singapore, but unlike in Thailand, those leaders did not seem prepared to go immediately. Bangkok first floated the idea that the visit would be in July, but later said it had been postponed.

Prayut said last week during a meeting with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson that he would go to the US in October, but Don then seemed ambivalent whether the trip could be arranged.

He said yesterday that the impending meeting would cover facets of cooperation between the two countries, such as security, the military, trade and investment, as well as Thailand’s large trade surplus with the US.

While Tillerson’s visit last week highlighted sanctions resulting from Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions, Don said Washington had not conveyed specifics about a crackdown on North Korean companies as the media had reported.

According to an AFP report released hours before Tillerson met Prayut, the acting US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian Affairs, Susan Thornton, said the US wanted Thailand to crack down on North Korean firms, tighten visa requirements for North Koreans entering Thailand and squeeze the country diplomatically.

Don denied the report. “The US stance is to denuclearise North Korea,” he said. “As an Asean member, we support further dialogue to work on the issue.”

An official with the US Department of State told The Nation that Washington was seeing unprecedented levels of cooperation from the international community in response to North Korea’s “unlawful and provocative” actions.

Responses by the international community include new sanctions, the reduction of diplomatic engagements, the expulsion of North Korean diplomats and workers, and the interdiction of arms and other shipments around the world, he said.

The international community had made clear that North Korea would face consequences for its continued circumvention of UN Security Council sanctions, the development of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, and violations of UN resolutions, the US official said.