Image copyright Reuters Image caption Donald Trump reproached the Chinese authorities for exerting insufficient pressure on North Korea
Chinese President Xi Jinping called on Donald Trump and the authorities North Korea exercise restraint and refrain from “words and actions” that can exacerbate tensions.
Earlier, the US President warned North Korea that it faces "big, big trouble" if something happens to the island of Guam, where the American military base is located.
Speaking at Bedminster, a golf resort in New Jersey, Trump pledged that the area would be "completely safe" and threatened to further tighten sanctions on the DPRK.
After that, Donald Trump had a phone conversation with Xi Jinping. According to the Chinese media, Chairman Xi noted that it is in the interests of both the PRC and the United States to ensure that the Korean Peninsula becomes a nuclear-free zone.
According to the White House, both sides have come to a common understanding that North Korea must stop its "provocative and aggressive behavior."
Image copyright Reuters Image caption "No one likes peaceful solutions more than President Trump," said the American leader, delivering yet another formidable tirade against the DPRK."Let's hope it will," Trump said earlier. "No one likes peaceful solutions more than President Trump, I assure you."
On Friday the US president has warned that the US military is "ready for battle." "Military solutions are at the ready, ready for battle if North Korea acts unwisely. Let's hope that Kim Jae-un will find another way," Trump tweeted.
Trump stepped up his belligerent rhetoric towards North Korea on Tuesday after promising that the US would respond with "fire and fury" after Pyongyang said it could now equip its ICBMs with nuclear warheads.
The DPRK authorities responded by saying that.
According to CNN, the commander of the North Korean army said in this regard: "The American president at the golf course once again burst into nonsense about 'fire and rage', not being able to grasp the gravity of the situation."
Image copyright Reuters Image caption V recent times different representatives the American administration is making increasingly harsh statements about PyongyangThe exchange of threats between Washington and Pyongyang has raised concerns in Moscow. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described the risk of military conflict as very high. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that there is no military solution to the North Korean problem, and "the escalation of aggressive rhetoric is the wrong answer."
On Friday Donald Trump, when asked by journalists to clarify the words about "fire and rage", replied: "I hope that they [North Korea] fully understand the seriousness of what I said, and I said it seriously ... These words are very, very understandable. simply".
"If he [Kim Jong-un] once again comes up with a direct threat [...] against Guam or some other American territory or an American ally, then he will truly regret it and will regret it right there," Trump added ...
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Guam: why is the island threatened by North Korea?Also on Friday, the Korea Central Telegraph Agency (CTAC) accused Washington of "a criminal attempt to stage a nuclear catastrophe against the Korean people," saying the US was making desperate attempts to test its weapons on the Korean Peninsula.
"The United States is the instigator of nuclear threats, a disgusting fanatic of nuclear war," the statement said.
The current spiral of tension began after the DPRK launched two ICBMs in July, after which the UN decided to increase economic sanctions against Pyongyang.
According to the head of the Pentagon, John Mattis, the United States has not lost hope of resolving the North Korean crisis through diplomacy. The war would be disastrous, the US Secretary of Defense warned.
Today, there is almost no doubt that the North Korean abscess has matured to the stage when it should already break through. However, it seems that the last word then Beijing will say.
If you look at the entire chain of events in chronological order, then it is worth, apparently, to start on August 8, when the almost pre-war actions between the United States and the DPRK began to develop too rapidly, capturing almost the whole world into the orbit of their relations.
On August 8, information appears that the DPRK's intercontinental ballistic missile may be equipped with a nuclear warhead. Angered by UN sanctions, Pyongyang promises to respond with "physical actions."
The US President could not let another batch of threats pass by, and promised North Korea such "fire and fury as the world has never seen."
Pyongyang answered with a hint that the base on Guam is about to be covered with North Korean Hwaseong-12 missiles. Trump realizes that his warning seemed "not harsh enough" and promises the DPRK "troubles that they cannot even think of."
And on the eve, new news comes from the USA. "They can be applied at any time if the DPRK acts unwisely. I hope that Kim Jong-un will find another way," the American president wrote on his Twitter on Friday. And a couple of hours later, he retweets photos of B-1B bombers in Guam. Washington's readiness for the most decisive action is also confirmed by the head of the Pentagon.
Be that as it may, but the world gradually began to prepare for war. Australia reported that it fully supported the actions of the United States. NATO is ready to make a decision in favor of the United States, but Germany called for restraint and warned against nuclear war. Japan began to alert the Patriot air defense system. Immediately from Pyongyang came the threat to launch 4 medium-range Hwaseong-12 missiles at Guam through Japan itself.
In this general hype, perhaps, one more main world player, China, was not heard. But he, after a pause, said his word, which resulted in the editorial of the official publication of the Global Times: "We need to explain to all parties so that it becomes clear to them: when their actions threaten Chinese interests, China will respond toughly to these actions," they said in Pekin.
At the same time, the Chinese leadership explained that if the DPRK threatens the United States with its missiles, China will remain completely neutral. But as soon as Washington and Seoul want to overthrow the existing North Korean regime and send their missiles towards the DPRK, China will do everything to prevent this.
In other words, and you don't even need to read it between the lines, Beijing will defend Pyongyang by any means, including the military. Do I need to remind you that this is exactly what the Chinese did in 1950-53 when they sided with North Korea against the United States, which in this conflict covered themselves with the UN flag?
This is exactly what Beijing is now reminding Washington, which is too recklessly playing with nuclear weapons. Washington, too, does not remain in debt: a few hours ago, the United States announced that it was starting an investigation into violations of intellectual property rights and illegal acquisition of technology in China. Donald Trump, according to a White House statement, will officially announce this on Monday August 14.
As the publication Politico notes, the announcement of the start of the investigation does not mean that the United States is ready to apply sanctions against China right now. But this certainly means that in the near future, the announced investigation will lead to an increase in duties on the import of Chinese goods to America and some European countries.
Tonight, President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump had a telephone conversation, in which the Chinese leader explicitly called on the American to avoid harsh words and actions against the DPRK and announced the possible response of the PRC to American military actions against its neighbor.
On Capitol Hill, right now, they are seriously alarmed by the developing situation. Despite the fact that members of Congress are in their constituencies until the beginning of September, Congressman from Rhode Island David Ceciline, the representative of the US Democratic Party, demanded that Speaker Paul Ryan convene an emergency meeting of the US House of Representatives.
Sisiline invites colleagues to discuss and in as soon as possible pass a bill that could prohibit Donald Trump from launching a preemptive nuclear strike against North Korea without congressional approval.
China has sharply criticized the new unilateral US sanctions against the DPRK. They also affect Chinese companies, which the United States suspected of cooperation with Pyongyang, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said. According to Beijing, by its actions, Washington is undermining cooperation with China on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Experts, in turn, regarded the US sanctions policy as another attempt to put pressure on China. About the American-Asian "sanctions triangle" - in the material RT.
Friendship against the United States
Beijing strongly condemns the new unilateral US sanctions against the DPRK, said the spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry Geng Shuang yesterday. Answering journalists' questions, the diplomat stressed that the new restrictive measures affect, among other things, Chinese shipping and energy companies cooperating with Pyongyang.
"China is strongly opposed to the American side imposing unilateral sanctions and" extraterritorial jurisdiction "in accordance with US domestic law against Chinese organizations or individuals," said a spokesman for the PRC diplomatic department.
According to the Chinese side, the United States should "immediately stop such violations, so as not to undermine bilateral cooperation in the relevant field."
- Representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China Geng Shuang
- www.fmprc.gov.cn
"Chinese companies have been under unilateral sanctions since the events on Tiananmen Square in 1989, so the Chinese know very well what American sanctions are, just like the North Koreans," the president of the Russian-Chinese Analytical Center commented in an interview with RT on the statement of a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry. Sergey Sanakoev.
According to the expert, it is China that has been patronizing the DPRK since the 1950s.
“Kim Jong-un, of course, moved away from China, began to pursue a more independent policy. But this does not mean that the PRC is ready to join these US sanctions, ”the expert notes.
Earlier, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PRC has repeatedly stated that the unilateral US sanctions against North Korea, under which Chinese citizens may also fall, are unacceptable. Back in August last year, China called on the United States to lift restrictive measures against North Korea, and in December criticized the United States for a similar policy towards the Chinese Bank of Dandong, allegedly collaborating with the DPRK.
As explained by the US Treasury, the reason for the new restrictions was the illegal supply of fuel to North Korea, including from China. In turn, the Chinese customs department released data on the eve, according to which last month from China to the DPRK did not receive a drop of fuel oil, oil or gasoline.
The only fuel that China continues to supply to North Korea is liquefied gas, which is not subject to sanctions. Moreover, the Chinese have reduced grain exports to the DPRK. Thus, the supply of rice in January amounted to 180 tons, which is only 4% of the volume of January 2017. In addition, China last month did not import coal, iron ore and lead from the DPRK.
"Deprive sources of income"
"The largest ever package of sanctions against the North Korean regime", according to the plan of the United States, should deprive Pyongyang of its remaining sources of income and fuel supply routes that operate contrary to existing restrictions from the UN Security Council and the United States.
On February 23, the US Treasury Department published a new sanctions list, which includes 27 organizations, 28 courts and one individual... Most of them are companies from the DPRK and China (including Hong Kong and Taiwan). Also, Chinese ships flying the flags of Tanzania and Panama are under the restrictions.
"Individuals who violate the US sanctions against North Korea will be required to pay a fine in the amount of double the price of the transaction in question, or pay $ 289,238," says the accompanying documents to the sanctions list.
In relation to companies, including foreign ones, the amount of the fine is traditionally determined in accordance with internal regulations United States Department of the Treasury. For example, in 2017, Washington forced the Chinese company ZTE to pay more than $ 100 million for cooperation with Iran, bypassing American sanctions.
- Meeting of US President Donald Trump with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull February 23, 2018
- Reuters
"Behind the US actions towards North Korea, there are certainly far-reaching plans to harm Chinese interests," Sanakoev said.
On February 23, speaking at a joint news conference with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, United States President Donald Trump expressed hope that the new sanctions would work. Otherwise, he promised to resort to "the second phase." Also, the American president stressed that relations between Washington and Beijing "are now better than ever."
With an eye on stabilization
Despite such statements by Trump, experts associate this Korean-Chinese sanctions story precisely with Washington's political pressure on Beijing.
“On the North Korean crisis, I adhere to a fairly clear line that this is not a problem for North Korea itself. This is still a Sino-American relationship, "says a member of the Center for the Study of the Problems of World Socialism at the Academy. social sciences PRC Evgeny Grachikov.
According to the expert, after Xi Jinping came to power in 2012, the PRC quite clearly outlined the zone of priority national interests, which included all border states, including the DPRK.
“The most talked about is the South China Sea. But as for the Korean problem, the Yellow Sea is of particular importance here, which for the Chinese is the same as the Black Sea for us, ”says Grachikov.
The constant presence of the American military here and the conduct of exercises, which are justified by the North Korean threat, are perceived by the Chinese as a personal challenge. According to the expert, a parallel can be drawn between how the US uses the Ukrainian crisis to put pressure on Russia and how the North Korean crisis is used against China.
- US military exercises in the Yellow Sea
- Reuters
“If China reached an agreement with America on more general issues, such as global governance, participation in such structures as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, there would be no such problems, ”the political scientist believes.
However, now, according to him, rapprochement between the positions of Washington and Beijing is unlikely.
Sanakoev, in turn, notes that China's position on unilateral sanctions against the DPRK is largely due to the fact that Beijing has always consistently rejected this mechanism in international relations.
“This is quite in line with their main policy aimed at stabilization, which they are pursuing in relation to this region. In addition, they have long opposed such unilateral actions by the United States of America, including with respect to Russia, ”the expert says.
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At the military parade in Pyongyang, ballistic missiles for submarines "Pukkuksong" were shown for the first time. Photo by Reuters
Pyongyang is not yet in a position to strike at America. This is evidenced by the failed rocket test conducted on Sunday. Nevertheless, Washington is increasing political and military pressure on the DPRK. US Vice President Michael Pence has arrived in Seoul to cheer up the ally. They meet him without delight. South Koreans fear that the unpredictable Donald Trump would repeat the Syrian scenario. Its results for the country would be disastrous.
Pyongyang hosted a parade on Saturday, an imposing display of military power to celebrate the birthday of DPRK founding father Kim Il Sung. And all this in the presence of numerous foreign reporters. And the next morning, there was a failure with the launch of a ballistic missile from a naval base on east coast country.
The Pacific Command of the US Navy reported that the rocket took off at about 6 a.m. local time. It exploded almost immediately after launch. This makes it difficult to recognize the range and size of the missile. Be that as it may, this failure reinforces Western experts' doubts about Pyongyang's claims that it is capable of responding with nuclear weapons to a US attack.
Experts were amazed at the number of new missiles shown at the Pyongyang parade. Previously, such parades showed two types of intercontinental ballistic missiles - KN-08 and KN-14. On Saturday, the vehicles carrying the missiles were the same as before. But they were moving large canisters never seen before. There could be old missiles, brand new ones, or there was nothing inside at all.
The missile test took place at the moment when US Vice President Michael Pence flew from Alaska to Seoul. According to the Washington Post, there he must issue a serious warning to North Korea. Its meaning is that the DPRK will pay dearly if it does not stop provocations.
V South Korea the public is unlikely to greet an American guest. The South Koreans fear that the unpredictable host of the White House would repeat the Syrian version of the missile attack on the Korean Peninsula. Its results for the country would be disastrous. Here is what priest Robert Park writes in the Korea Herald. Japan and China have already taken steps to keep their citizens safe in the event of a military confrontation. And civilians in South Korea, who will suffer incalculable damage in the event of American preemptive strikes against North Korea, are completely unprepared for this scenario.
At the same time, the American troops themselves in South Korea will not be much affected. And the Seoul region, with its 25 million population, is within the range of North Korean artillery fire.
Still, isn't China going to intervene in a potential military conflict in Korea? In a conversation with NG, the leading researcher of the Institute Of the Far East RAS Vasily Kashin noted: “The Chinese doubt that someone in their right mind might come up with an idea to strike at North Korea. North Korea and Syria are different universes. Syria is bombed by Israel year after year, nothing follows. The losses from Israel were stronger than the strikes by the Tomahawks. North Korea is something different. "
Kim Jong-un is hated in Beijing. They would be happy to change the format of relations with the DPRK. But Kim destroyed all the people the Chinese knew and liked in North Korea; there are no communication channels, Kim is incomprehensible and unpredictable to them. According to unconfirmed rumors, there is a group of North Koreans who were not executed, but fled to China in the hope of intercepting power if everything goes to pieces; but this is difficult to confirm.
The Chinese will not do anything cardinal with North Korea, given that the Americans are unlikely to do anything radical either. It is unlikely that China will defend North Korea and abide by old treaties, Kashin predicts.
Recall that an agreement was signed between China and the DPRK in 1961, providing for assistance in the event of an attack on one of the participants. Chinese publicists today often speak in the spirit that the DPRK itself violated this treaty by conducting nuclear tests contrary to UN decisions. Therefore, the PRC is not obliged to fulfill this agreement.
At the same time, Beijing has not given up on the idea of joint efforts with Russia to revive the negotiations on Korea. In a telephone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that Beijing intends to closely coordinate its actions with Moscow, contribute to an early de-escalation of tensions and promote the resumption of dialogue between all parties.
However, the report of the Chinese press does not mention any joint actions on Syria. Wang Yi, however, mentioned the need to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria. But, as before, Beijing did not want to condemn the American strike against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, preferring to take a neutral position.
Siegfried Hecker - professor at Stanford University in California, former head of the US National Laboratory at Los Alamos:
"Given the last two successful tests this year, it should be assumed that the DPRK has developed and demonstrated nuclear warheads that can be equipped with short-range and probably medium-range missiles."
“Their ability to deploy an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) equipped with a nuclear warhead that could reach the United States is still far from being realized - it may take 5-10 years, but it is quite feasible if the development of the program is not impeded. "
What's going on in Korea?
Now in the region of the Far East, noisy and formidable events are taking place. Impeachment of the President of South Korea, missile tests by North Korea, the assassination of Kim Jong Nam, etc. I will try to explain as best I can what it all means.
I think that the assassination of Kim Jong Nam, the Maidan in South Korea, and the missile tests of North Korea, which led to the deployment of an American missile defense system in South Korea, are all links in the same chain - the US policy against China.
V public consciousness It is generally believed that the DPRK and the United States are irreconcilable enemies, but in reality this is not entirely true. North Korea may well play along with the United States. All these games of nuclear-missile deterrence on the part of the DPRK always serve as a convenient excuse for the United States to build up its missile defense and military grouping in the region. So it happens this time.
I'll start with missile launches and North Korea's relationship with China. China and North Korea used to be the strongest allies. China's participation in Korean War what is it worth. And so it was until the arrival of Xi Jingping.
Previously, relations between China and North Korea passed through the group of the former secretary general of the PRC Jiang Zemin and his closest aide, the head of the Chinese KGB, Zhou Yongkang. When Xi Jingping came, he began to clean out the entire Jiang Zemin group, and Zhou Yongkang was imprisoned. As a result, China began to communicate with South Korea more than with North Korea. I think that is why North Korea went to an "agreement" with the United States. They are organizing a nuclear provocation with their missile exercises - in response, the Americans are deploying missiles in South Korea, and Japan is strengthening the army.
In order to interrupt such a flow of "dough", it is necessary to arrange a maidan - not otherwise. Nobody will voluntarily refuse such a flow.
Earlier, during the Obama administration, the US “agreement” with China was possible, including thanks to Soros and Buffett, who advocate friendship with China (for more details, see my post “Will there be a war between the US and China?”).
Now Trump is in the administration, an outspoken supporter of Taiwan and a confrontation with China. Only Trump is now completely absorbed domestic politics, he hardly has time for such combinations. Plus, the Maidan in South Korea began long before Trump. Here, most likely, the system works without it.
Finally, there is a version according to which Kim Jong Nam, like a number of other North Korean officials who fled to China, kept China in Pyongyang in case of a political crisis, so that, if something happened, immediately put a group of his henchmen in power there.
So the assassination of Kim Jong Nam is another blow to the China-DPRK connection, and this coincides in time with the DPRK missile tests, which caused tension in the region.
Now Japan also "expresses deep concern over the actions of North Korea," and is also not averse to building up its military power against this background, which was limited by the results of World War II.
And here it is clear that all this is directed not against North Korea, which China immediately began to press economically, but primarily against China.
And the reason for this anti-Chinese pressure is very simple - China is growing too fast, and the entire Western world and its allies are stagnating. If China is allowed to grow unhindered for the next few years, then any attempts to compete with it will become even potentially futile. The only option is to slash China's skyrocketing takeoff. Just like the British Empire tried to "cut" Germany in the First World War.
The third World War if it is, it will become a repetition of not the Second World War, but the First. Fading superpower # 1 is waging a war against the rapidly growing young superpower # 2 before it's too late.
The deployment of THAAD in South Korea, the build-up of forces by Japan, all these are stages of preparation for a war with China.