harris campaign, clean up on aisle Electoral College

[rooster59]

Tillerson to face Chinese ire over blame for North Korea tensions

By Ben Blanchard

 

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (L) speaks as South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-Se looks on during a news conference in Seoul, South Korea March 17, 2017. REUTERS/JUNG Yeon-Je/Pool - RTX31FEM

 

BEIJING (Reuters) - China is likely to express its anger at being told to rein in nuclear-armed North Korea when U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrives in Beijing on Saturday, his first visit to the country since taking office last month.

Beijing is expected to call on Washington to share responsibility in lessening tensions in the region, while strongly opposing this month's deployment of a sophisticated U.S. missile defence system in South Korea.

Tillerson issued the Trump administration's starkest warning yet to North Korea on Friday, saying that a military response would be "on the table" if Pyongyang took action to threaten South Korean and U.S. forces.

He was speaking in South Korea, the second leg of an Asia visit that has also taken him to Japan.

In Beijing, he may raise the prospect of imposing "secondary sanctions" on Chinese banks and other firms doing business with North Korea in defiance of sanctions, a U.S. official told Reuters in Washington, speaking on condition of anonymity.

U.S. President Donald Trump said in a tweet on Friday that North Korea was "behaving very badly" and accused China, Pyongyang's neighbour and only major ally, of doing little to resolve the crisis over the North's weapons programs.

Tillerson however is also expected to firm up a trip by Chinese President Xi Jinping to the United States next month for his first summit with Trump, and could choose to tone down any differences between the world's largest economies, at least for now.

A former oil executive with no prior diplomatic experience, Tillerson will meet China's two top diplomats on Saturday and Xi on Sunday.

On Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying reiterated that talks were the best way to resolve the problems of the Korean peninsula.

"As a close neighbour of the peninsula, China has even more reason than any other country to care about the situation," she told a briefing.

North Korea has conducted two nuclear tests and a series of missile launches since the beginning of last year.

Last week, it launched four more ballistic missiles and is working to develop nuclear-tipped missiles that can reach the United States.

"BLIND WORSHIP"

Washington has been pressing Beijing to do more to stop North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes.

China has called for a dual track approach, urging North Korea to suspend its tests and the United States and South Korea to suspend military drills, so both sides can return to talks.

Beijing has been irritated by suggestions it has not been doing enough, with the official People's Daily on Friday denouncing what it said was Washington and Seoul's "blind worship" of sanctions and pressure.

"There has been a narrative in the West suggesting that China holds the key to the North Korea nuclear issue. That is a misguided statement," said Wang Dong, associate professor of international studies at China's elite Peking University.

"The bottom line is that the DPRK is not a puppet regime. We do not control them, and we have strongly opposed North Korea's development of nuclear weapons from the very beginning," he said, referring to the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The state-run Chinese tabloid the Global Times said on Friday that it was in China's interests to stop North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

"The North Korean nuclear issue is caused by (the)Washington-Pyongyang confrontation. China has no obligation to shoulder all the responsibilities," it said in an editorial.

China has also been infuriated by the deployment of the THAAD, or Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, missile defence system in South Korea, which it says will both harm China's own security and do nothing to ease tensions.

China says the system's powerful radar will extend into the country's northeast and potentially track Chinese missile launches, and maybe even intercept them. Russia also opposes THAAD, for the same reasons.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-03-18

[dunroaming]

I suspect when Tillerson is in China there will be lot's of backtracking on what the White House said.  That is usually the way with this administration.

[SiSePuede419]

Another pampered billionaire who has no idea how the real world works.  God, rich people are stupid. ?

[Godolphin]

2 hours ago, dunroaming said:

I suspect when Tillerson is in China there will be lot's of backtracking on what the White House said.  That is usually the way with this administration.

Absolutely. Imagine being a Trump-appointed official of the United States government trying to  represent their nation in international affairs based on the daily whims of a man who seems to change his ideas with the wind.

 

I actually feel sorry for Sean Spicer, as a fellow human being, for having to go in to bat every day for a man who is so unhinged from reality and sees the world as a reflection of his ego processes. Surely Spicer will blow a head gasket somewhere down the track.

 

Tillerson intimating armed conflict with North Korea. Trump childishly refusing to shake the hand of Merkel, the USA's most important NATO/European ally, the cuts to so many socially progressive programs , the Obama Care cuts which will seriously affect the welfare of those most in need, ie the legions of suffering people who voted for Trump in the first place, all add up to a very disturbing outlook for the US, and, by consequence, the world.

 

I hate to say it but the only way out for this egoistic charlatan is armed conflict somewhere and somewhere soon.

 

Hopefully, some of the saner, less hidebound Republicans will have the guts  to stand up and call this ghastly pretender out but don't hold your breath.

[Andaman Al]

Expecting Trump to say soon "Nobody knew how complicated this Diplomacy stuff was".

[Andaman Al]

27 minutes ago, Godolphin said:

actually feel sorry for Sean Spicer, as a fellow human being, for having to go in to bat every day for a man who is so unhinged from reality and sees the world as a reflection of his ego processes. Surely Spicer will blow a head gasket somewhere down the track.

Don't feel sorry for Spicer, he could make the right choice any day. If he were to leave tomorrow he would be offered a Multi-million dollar book deal for titles along the line of "The Art of the Lie",  "Let sleeping dogs - and anyone else in Trumps Administration - Lie", My year in Trump Asylum", etc etc. It would be top of the best seller list over night.

[elgordo38]

10 hours ago, rooster59 said:

China has called for a dual track approach, urging North Korea to suspend its tests and the United States and South Korea to suspend military drills, so both sides can return to talks.

"Play It Again Sam" Have heard this return to talks crap for over a decade. Last time the states shipped food and oil and North Korea gave them the finger in return. China needs to do more that is the key. The banking system is the life blood of the world. NK's Achilles heel. 

[jerojero]

Expecting Trump to say soon "Nobody knew how complicated this Diplomacy stuff was".

Trump would admit to a mistake or lack of knowledge if his life depended on it! Gigantic ego. He has no idea how stupid he looks to the World.

[Dumbastheycome]

42 minutes ago, jerojero said:

Trump would admit to a mistake or lack of knowledge if his life depended on it! Gigantic ego. He has no idea how stupid he looks to the World.

In  a  dangerous  way.

[Dumbastheycome]

1 hour ago, elgordo38 said:

"Play It Again Sam" Have heard this return to talks crap for over a decade. Last time the states shipped food and oil and North Korea gave them the finger in return. China needs to do more that is the key. The banking system is the life blood of the world. NK's Achilles heel. 

"The  Banking System is the life  blood of the  USA" is  the  correct definition .And  those  that primarily  benefit  from it  within the USA  will  commit  anybody  but themselves in defence of  it even unto  death and obliteration !

 

[smudger1951]

Are there any pro-Trump people posting apart from myself ? At least the Trump administration is attempting to confront these world issues like NK. Obama just kicked the can down the road.

[elgordo38]

23 minutes ago, smudger1951 said:

Are there any pro-Trump people posting apart from myself ? At least the Trump administration is attempting to confront these world issues like NK. Obama just kicked the can down the road.

To go on record I am not pro-Trump but in this regard your right. Obama did kick the can the road and now the can has a fuse lit to it a short one. Its a chess board where China is maneuvering North Korea as a pawn and the US is trying for a checkmate. Not knowing much about chess does one sacrifice the pawn?

[Stargeezr]

China has had lots of opportunities to get North Korea to quit its Nuclear program, but I think that

China is supplying NK with the materials.  Maybe NK needs some military strikes to show it that

it will quit developing missles and nuclear warheads. Obama did not have the guts to do this

but maybe Trump does.  NK has a very unstable leader and does not need any nuclear anything

right now

Geezer

[stander]

For decades China has funded North Korea and we can also thank Pakistan's A Q Khan for selling the nuclear information to North Korea, but I do believe Tillerson got his message through to them...NEW GAME NEW RULES...

 

 

[Briggsy]

North Korea's going nowhere, China long-term strategic planning includes a buffer state on the Korean peninsula.

 

Trump's childish tweets are for his voters who love it when he "talks tough". Echo chamber and all that.

 

Tillerson is in China to negotiate deals for Trump and various vested interests such as hedge funds or oil companies.

 

Anyone who thinks the Trump administration is going to bomb N. Korea has been brainwashed by Fox.