While US and North Korean officials have traded verbal missiles in the past few days, China has been noticably quiet. However, that just changed as a prominent Chinese expert told The Nikkei that China likely will halt crude oil exports to North Korea should Pyongyang conduct its sixth nuclear test, signaling a tougher attitude by Beijing toward its rogue neighbor.
President Trump’s Disappearance
Paul Craig Roberts
In my long experience in Washington, vice presidents did not make major foreign policy announcements or threaten other countries with war. Not even Dick Cheney stole this role from the weak president George W. Bush.
But yesterday the world witnessed VP Pence threaten North Korea with war. “The sword stands ready,” said Pence as if he is the commander in chief.
Perhaps he is.
Whether China is right about North Korea conducting a nuclear test on April 25 remains to be seen, but for now Kim Jong-Un is content with merely escalating the verbal warfare and overnight North Korean state media warned the United States of a "super-mighty preemptive strike" following the latest round of comments by Rex Tillerson who said the United States was looking at ways to bring pressure to bear on North Korea over its nuclear programme.
Earlier this morning Vice President Pence offered up one of the Trump administration's most stern warnings yet to North Korea saying that the U.S. would "defeat any attack and meet any use of conventional or nuclear weapons with an overwhelming and effective American response." Per The Hill:
"The United States of America will always seek peace but under President Trump, the shield stands guard and the sword stands ready."
Authored by Brandon Smith via Alt-Market.com,