China’s Most Powerful General, a Xi Jinping Henchman, Meets Mattis

Photo courtesy of the Defense Department

 

PLA leader purged scores of generals causing instability in world’s largest military

BEIJING—Gen. Xu Qiliang is China’s most powerful military boss and as vice chairman of the all-powerful Central Military Commission was the last meeting for Defense Secretary Jim Mattis during a two-day visit to China last week.

Xu greeted Mattis warmly at the ceremonial Chinese Defense Ministry building known as Bayi. The general showed little emotion and few clues to the growing tensions with the United States over Beijing’s buildup of missiles on disputed islands in the South China Sea.

Pompeo meets secretly with North Korean leader

US Secretary of State-designate made a top-secret visit to North Korea over Easter weekend to meet with its leader Kim Jong Un, President Donald Trump has confirmed. His mission was to lay the groundwork for his future summit with Kim.  Speaking at his Mar-a-Lago resort on Tuesday, Trump appeared to allude to Pompeo’s secret mission when he said that the US has had “direct talks” with North Korea “at very high levels.” The president didn’t elaborate, but he did mention June as the possible timeline for his summit with the North Korean leader, rather than May as first cited.

China’s Xi warns Trump of ‘negative factors’ hurting US ties

President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping walk together after their meetings at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., April, 2017.

 

China’s President lists arms sales to rival Taiwan and US sanctions against a Chinese bank over dealings with North Korea as among the problems.

JULY 3, 2017  BEIJING—Chinese President Xi Jinping warned President Donald Trump on Monday that “some negative factors” are hurting United States-China relations, as tensions flare anew over a slew of long-standing sore points.

Mr. Xi’s comments in a phone call with Mr. Trump follow Beijing’s displeasure over US arms sales to rival Taiwan, US sanctions against a Chinese bank over its dealings with North Korea and, most recently, the sailing of a US destroyer within the territorial seas limit of a Chinese-claimed island in the South China Sea.

China Is Ticking All the Boxes on Its Path to War

The Chinese dream of hegemony in Asia has been a long time coming. The map following is from a Nationalist primary school textbook from 1938.

 

There are currently three communiques that have guided U.S.-China relations for the last 45 years. These joint statements by the U.S. and Chinese governments were signed in 1972, 1979, and 1982. Among other things, the second communique states that, “Neither should seek hegemony in the Asia-Pacific region or in any other region of the world”.

China has recently been attempting to have the U.S. sign onto a Fourth Communique under which the U.S. would no longer consider Taiwan as an ally or deal with it in any military or diplomatic terms. In effect, the U.S. would peacefully decline and leave the Western Pacific to China. The White House rejected it prior to the meeting of the U.S. and Chinese presidents on April 6-7 at Mar-a-Lago. It was raised again by Henry Kissinger, now in the pay of the Chinese government, at his meeting with President Trump on May 10.

Regime change: After getting played at Mar-a-lago, China moves to control outcome in Pyongyang

On a side note: What if President Trump is playing China with its military buildup and making it believe an American attack on North Korea is imminent, thus causing China to preemptively invade and occupy while America watches instead? Tricking the CCP into attacking North Korea would actually be genius.

 

Are his days numbered? North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. / AP

 

Convinced that the Trump administration may be preparing a preemptive strike to bring regime change in Pyongyang, the Chinese Communist Party headed by Xi Jinping is acting to make sure that any replacement of the brutal Kim Jong-Un regime will be one that favors Beijing.

China Threatens To Bomb North Korea’s Nuclear Facilities If It Crosses Beijing’s “Bottom Line”

Adding to the points in a previous post about the 150,000 PLA troop buildup, it looks like North Korea could end up being Chinese territory.

Something happened during Xi Jinping’s visit to Mar-a-Lago. It’s only speculation at this point, but perhaps American debt will be forgiven for a piece of property on the beach.

Sounds radical? It is. One thing is certain, and that’s to say Trump isn’t redrawing red lines like the Obama administration did. Cross it and you’ll pay a price.

There is hardly another good explanation as to why China is suddenly agreeing with the U.S. that DPRK is now a problem after decades of opposition to a solution for North Korea. The PLA is now on war footing and now singing a different tune. Something happened.

 

 

With everyone putting down new and/or revised “red lines“, be it on Syria or North Korea, it was now China’s turn to reveal its “red” or rather “bottom line”, and in a harshly worded editorial titled “The United States Must Not Choose a Wrong Direction to Break the DPRK Nuclear Deadlock on Wednesday” Beijing warned it would attack North Korea’s facilities producing nuclear bombs, effectively engaging in an act of war, if North Korea crosses China’s “bottom line.”

The editorial in the military-focused Global Times tabloid, owned and operated by the Communist Party’s People’s Daily newspaper, said that North Korea’s nuclear activities must not jeopardize northeastern China, and that if the North impacts China with its illicit nuclear tests through either “nuclear leakage or pollution”, then China will respond with force.

U.S. Launches Missiles at Syrian Base After Chemical Weapons Attack

The United States launched dozens of cruise missiles Thursday night at a Syrian airfield in response to what it believes was Syria’s use of banned chemical weapons that killed at least 100 people, the U.S. military said.

Two U.S. warships in the Mediterranean Sea, the USS Ross and the USS Porter, fired 59 Tomahawk missiles intended for a single target — Shayrat Airfield in Homs province in western Syria, the Defense Department said. That’s the airfield from which the United States believes the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fired the banned weapons.

The Pentagon said people were not targeted, and there was no immediate word on casualties. U.S. officials told NBC News that aircraft and infrastructure at the site were hit, including the runway and gas fuel pumps.

Ahead of Trump-Xi summit, U.S. warns clock has ‘run out’ on N. Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversees a firing contest in Pyongyang, Dec. 21, 2016. (Photo: KCNA via Reuters)

 

WASHINGTON — Days before President Trump hosts his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, a top U.S. official warned Tuesday that “the clock has run out” on decades of diplomatic efforts to rein in North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, and military action may ultimately be necessary.

“The clock has now run out, and all options are on the table for us,” the official told reporters at a briefing held on condition that he not be identified by name.

World War III nightmare scenario brewing in the East China Sea

Mounting threat: Japanese F-15 jets are intercepting Chinese military planes daily. (Toru Yamanaka | AFP | Getty Images)

 

OKINAWA-While the world watches mounting military tensions in the South China Sea, another, more ominous situation is brewing in the East China Sea that could be the trigger point for a major war between the superpowers. At the heart of tensions are eight uninhabited islands controlled by Japan that are close to important shipping lanes, rich fishing grounds and potential oil and gas reserves. China contests Japan’s claims and is escalating its military activity in Japan airspace. In response, Japan has been doubling its F-15 jet intercepts.

The situation increases the risk of an accidental confrontation — and could draw other countries, like the United States, into a conflict. It’s a topic President Trump will likely bring up with Chinese President Xi Jinping at his Mar-a-Lago estate this week.