China suspends coal purchases from North Korea
Finally! In an apparent response to North Korea’s recent ballistic missile test China has suspended its coal purchases from North Korea through the end of this year.
China will suspend all imports of coal from North Korea until the end of the year, the Commerce Ministry announced Saturday, in a surprise move that would cut off a major financial lifeline for Pyongyang and significantly enhance the effectiveness of U.N. sanctions. Coal is North Korea’s largest export item, and also China’s greatest point of leverage over the regime.
The ministry said the ban would come into force Sunday and be effective until Dec. 31. China said the move was designed to implement November’s United Nations Security Council resolution that tightened sanctions against the regime in the wake of its last nuclear test.
While there are doubts this will change policy in North Korea, it does indicate that China is finally losing patience with that rogue state and its threatening behavior. And since China is one of the few countries that does any trade with North Korea, it is probably one of the few countries that can influence it in any way.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Finally! In an apparent response to North Korea’s recent ballistic missile test China has suspended its coal purchases from North Korea through the end of this year.
China will suspend all imports of coal from North Korea until the end of the year, the Commerce Ministry announced Saturday, in a surprise move that would cut off a major financial lifeline for Pyongyang and significantly enhance the effectiveness of U.N. sanctions. Coal is North Korea’s largest export item, and also China’s greatest point of leverage over the regime.
The ministry said the ban would come into force Sunday and be effective until Dec. 31. China said the move was designed to implement November’s United Nations Security Council resolution that tightened sanctions against the regime in the wake of its last nuclear test.
While there are doubts this will change policy in North Korea, it does indicate that China is finally losing patience with that rogue state and its threatening behavior. And since China is one of the few countries that does any trade with North Korea, it is probably one of the few countries that can influence it in any way.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Any way you look at this, it is big. The Communist party of North Korea depends upon foreign currency to buy its loyalty. Curbing their largest export item has to get their attention. I just wish that the Chinese had done this a decade ago.
Might China taking this major step have anything to do with a certain American president saying that our trade relationship with them needs to be re-examined and that he wishes that China would help us with North Korea?
Come to think if it, might China be saying that they’ll suspend coal imports from the DPRK but, you know, a whole lot of coal came in through the black market…we tried!
Does anybody really think that North Korea is a threat to anybody?
I for one shake my head at such a notion. NK is allowed to do the things that it does because
it allows China to do its thing. Who is the bigger threat?
A petty dictator whacks his older half-brother just to make sure that nobody rallies against
his regime and just for laughs launches yet another missile into the water. Wow.
In response, 24 million people suffer and thank him for keeping them safe from the evil that
would destroy their way of life.
If NK ever even thinks about really threatening anybody, China will step in and stop it because
it is in its interest to do so. If you want to deal with NK, talk to China.
With America becoming increasingly isolationist China sees an opportunity to strengthen her relations with important regional powers like South Korea and Japan. China replacing America as the major partner in the TPPA must also be high on her to do list.
With America becoming increasingly isolationist
Doubtful.
China sees an opportunity to strengthen her relations with important regional powers like South Korea and Japan.
China could be very well worried that Trump will increase our support for Japan and South Korea and Mattis’ trip to the region shows we are.
Trump puts his foot in his mouth so often, is so unpredictable, and so disliked outside of America, doing trade deals with China over America is an extraordinarily attractive idea, even Australia’s Turnbull has been laughing at Trump’s flakiness, dealing with the sober, rational Chinese appeals, the Chinese know this, and China’s growth has been fueled by her burgeoning trade, so bye bye America, hello China. A lot of American’s are overly focused on military might, outside of the Middle East everyone else is focused on economic growth.
Andrew_W:
-Trump was not my first (2nd, 3rd, or 4th) choice, but he’s my President (and HRC will never be, praise the Lord) and I find myself instinctively defending the guy, especially when he gets attacked mercilessly by our anti-American, so-called Press and their insane Narratives, and… when foreigners pull their stereotypical, elitist, superiority, crap-o-la.
I had to listen to literally decades of The Usual Suspects ™, tell me Reagan’s IQ was 100, Bush was “Hitler,” “Dick Cheney is Darth Vader,” “Trump is literally Hitler,” blah-blah-blah.
I had not heard the Rest of the World had come to grips with their crushing debt load, non-stop importation of low-skilled whacko-jihadi’s, and Cultural decline/surrender.
I would pivot slightly, and highly recommend Victor Davis Hanson’s weekly podcast, “The Classicist,” at the Hoover Institution. They run 20-30 minutes.
The Classicist with Victor Davis Hanson
“Diagnosing The Democrats”
http://www.hoover.org/research/classicist-diagnosing-democrats
Maybe this is China letting its rabies dog loose?
Let the Korean dog nuke Japan and pretend we had nothing to do with it. We just obliged by UN sanctions and look what happened!
Jim, I cannot imagine how China cold control the NK dictator. He will most likely go down by nuking China, because he can reach then. But China is led by stupid, so that’s probably what will happen.
Kim’s brother Kim, might’ve been intended as a replacement of the other Kim when China has assassinated him. The half brother would certainly have given a China puppet regime domestic credibility. Maybe Kim foresaw China’s coup plans and the murder of Kim’s kin preempted it, with the coal embargo as an improvised Chinese response to its foiled plans.
” it does indicate that China is finally losing patience with that rogue state and its threatening behavior. ”
This may be a naive statement.
I suspect that N. Korea is taunting America / Trump and is attempting to establish some measure of control. I find the more interesting that the Chinese have made such a statement, I do not ever recall them making it before. Is Trump sooo destabilizing to China that they are actually paying tribute to this unknowable entity at the levers of power in the American government?
Trumps willingness to transmit his displeasure with foreign nations in no uncertain terms, specifically China, and his stated intent to do something about it, and the Chinese inability to read him, is IMO a coup’e for Trump and goes to the new philosophy in the White House of actually leading (not from behind. Possibly the stupidest and most treasonous thing ever uttered from the mouth of an American president).
This is Trump! Create leverage and capital from threats and keep your opponent off balance. Get used to it.
“and I find myself instinctively defending the guy, especially when he gets attacked mercilessly by our anti-American, so-called Press and their insane Narratives, and… when foreigners pull their stereotypical, elitist, superiority, crap-o-la.”
I feel as though I am in an alternate universe. Who am I? (He asks in confusion :)
And Wayne, Dick Cheney is Darth Vader, don’t FK with Dick Cheney. (seriously)
Local: ” Maybe Kim foresaw China’s coup plans and the murder of Kim’s kin preempted it, with the coal embargo as an improvised Chinese response to its foiled plans.”
Interesting observation, I had not gone there. Kims half brothers demise is a very interesting event.
Andrew W: “Trump puts his foot in his mouth so often, is so unpredictable, and so disliked outside of America, doing trade deals with China over America is an extraordinarily attractive idea, even Australia’s Turnbull has been laughing at Trump’s flakiness, dealing with the sober, rational Chinese appeals, the Chinese know this, and China’s growth has been fueled by her burgeoning trade, so bye bye America, hello China. ”
First of all, that is an extremely run on sentence. And second, you fail to recognize Trumps strengths, “knowability”, like Obama, is not an asset here. As per usual you come to the wrong conclusion.
Henry Rollins prescient tune about Obama (and Priebus, and McConnell, and Ryan….)
Henry Rollins
“Liar”
https://youtu.be/awY1MRlMKMc
(4:50)
Related, because its politics:
Now do not get me wrong, I think that ANY military or government officials, in office or out, accepting monies from any business or foreign governments for what ever reason makes them all suspect. That being said, does anyone see a vast void of outrage in the media and from Congress between these two examples?
Mike Flynn received as much as $40 Thousand dollars ($40,000.00) from RT (Russia Today TV) for an appearance.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/michael-flynn-fire-receiving-40g-2015-moscow-visit-article-1.2977298
The Clinton’s possibly received as much as $50 MILLION dollars ($50,000,000.00) funneled to the Clinton’s and their Clinton Foundation while Hillary was the sitting Secretary Of State in the Obama administration from Canadian and Russian uranium business interests which resulted in the Russians controlling 20 percent of OUR uranium resources. This is only ONE example of the Clinton’s becoming enriched in such a way, their foundation has had as much as $2 Billion dollars ($2,000,000,000.00) run through it (tax free).
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/04/23/us/clinton-foundation-donations-uranium-investors.html
Jim,
I wonder about how China sees N Korea and it’s place in Chinese policy.
Clearly China has great leverage over the Kims, and China would never tolerate them going nuclear if they didn’t think they had control.
Could it be that China sees N Korea as a means to achieve it’s ends while maintaining “plausible deniability”?
If China would like to see a strike on Taiwan or Japan (they have an old score to settle), they can’t launch an attack, but if “Krazy Kim” fired off a nuke, can’t blame Beijing…
Andrew,
Americans are told we (particularly our non-Democrat leaders) are not as smart and sophisticated as those in other parts of the world, particularly the Europeans.
Truth is, the other world leaders are just as selfish, narcissistic and filled with personality quirks as ours.
They are all playing power games with the goal of accruing and maintaining as much personal power and wealth as possible.
I’m not so sure they are laughing about Trump behind closed doors.
Obama made life easy. He was an amateur who could be easily maneuvered.
Trump has a long history maneuvering, negotiating, and yes, screwing his opponents when it suited him.
Right now they see a guy who blew through the combined American political establishment on his first try – that’s something hey don’t take lightly.
Does Trump have the savvy to outmaneuver the opposition on the world stage?
I don’t know, hopefully he understands he can’t do it alone and works with his people while not letting the insane attacks on him distract him.
Brings us to the latest dust-up about Sweden. Trump’s “made-up terrorist attack”.
I’ll bet there are lots of people in Sweden who aren’t laughing at Trump.
They know about the crime that’s come with the refugees and how their gov’t is trying to cover it up.
The Swedish gov’t’s scoffing at Trump is part of their attempt to hide what’s happening.
But the word is getting out.
http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/764574/Political-Sweden-chaos-police-officer-migrants-blame-serious-crime
From Australia’s “60 minutes”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN6BuOLDUxA
“I had not heard the Rest of the World had come to grips with their crushing debt load, non-stop importation of low-skilled whacko-jihadi’s, and Cultural decline/surrender.”
I’m sorry Wayne, but you have bought into Conservative and Alt-right propaganda, the rest of the world is getting along fine, of course there are places like Greece that aren’t doing as well, but on the whole the world outside of your self-obsessed, inward facing country is steadily improving.
Mitch, negotiations are not a zero sum game, if they are they are not negotiations. The world has plenty of respect for most of America’s leaders, with one notable exception.
Andrew_W.
..har.
I was a conservative, libertarian, republican, long before it was cool. (I forget our relative age’s, I campaigned for Reagan in 76, ’80, and ’84.)
-Never been “alt-right,” which I equate with European fascism/Nazi/communists, and domestic home-grown hate-groups
I’d get into it all deeper, but it’s my proposition that you & I just end up talking past each other, because we don’t agree on the definition’s of a lot of term’s.
I do differ with your thought–
“..the rest of the World is getting along fine.”
I believe that is demonstrably false, but it’s not my obligation to prove it.
I would put forth a proposition as well:
Your characterization of us, as “..self-obsessed, inward facing country..” is, to be kind, a product of your Media, our Media, and what you’ve been told to believe by your overlords & mastermind’s.
-It’s all Fake News, propaganda, deception, & misinformation.
You folks can think, whatever you want about all us “stupid, evil-American’s.” >Don’t care anymore. Just don’t care.
I’m a deplorable, jingoist, a-hole….
Dennis Leary sings…
(un-censored version.)
https://youtu.be/UrgpZ0fUixs
(4:40)
Colonel Joshua Chamberlain talks to deserters of the old 2nd Maine
https://youtu.be/2d2_zeJTJcw
(6:06)
Mitch S, I agree with you:
Related to your Sweden observation, 2+ min. Understand it in order to properly defeat it. https://youtu.be/QZdb83UepeQ
Islam, specifically those who are bound to Sharia law (they fundamentally / essentially all are) and are driven to move to other country’s in order to spread it are the real and present and growing danger in the world right now. How will this be properly dealt with from the American Constitution perspective?
The “religion” (Mohammadism) of Islam must be separated from the legal component of Islam (Sharia law) during potential immigrant interviews. And during the new and more intensive interview, looking into ones phone records, Facebook posts, what ever, if a counter indication is come upon that reveals an adherence to it then that person will be rejected. And if it is found that upon admission Sharia is being adhered to then that will be the basis for expulsion.
This is not anti Islam, this is anti Sharia, this represents the technical duality of the Koran. The duality of the Koran is 180 degrees from the American Constitution and is entirely incompatible with it and it must be rejected in the strongest terms possible. The Constitution is not a suicide pact!
This is just one aspect of the many non religious based reasons that must be developed in order to separate out those who need not be in America.
Related, because its about politics:
The rats in the Trump administration are being revealed. Will Reince Prebis be one of them? Stay tuned, what will the Republican leadership do?
https://youtu.be/euQnci3q-Ms
Related, because this is the kind of realization that America must come to:
https://youtu.be/krhDzGyDzo0 Bravo Finland!
Come here to become American, do not come here to create here what you run from there.
Let us not be naive.
Cotour wrote,
“The rats in the Trump administration are being revealed. Will Reince Prebis be one of them?” The linked video reveals that Katie Walsh, Prebis’s deputy, is allegedly the source of leaks.
I noticed Drudge has no story on this, so I googled “Katie Walsh.” There were several references to this story, most of them about 24 hours old, but none of them from any mainstream source.
So I wonder, why aren’t Drudge, Fox, or any other mainstream source carrying this story, which is huge if true?
I’m not saying it’s false, but I would think that the mainstream sources all consider this story to have insufficient credibility at this point. And I would love it if Trump caught the source (or a source) of the leaks.
Garry: I agree. I saw this yesterday, checked it out immediately, and saw nothing that indicated that anyone was taking it seriously, at the moment. If it had checked out it would be plastered across every conservative news source, and they have ignored it, so far.
Cotour: I think you are sometimes naive in accepting every news story that crosses your path.
Your right, I can not find any other reporting of her firing. I will admit that I have not looked further than that video on this one. I have to imagine that some level of spy V spy like this is going on to expose the internal threat.
I will have to be more discerning in the future and wait for further confirmation before diving in. Lets see what shows up.
Andrew,
Re “The world has plenty of respect for most of America’s leaders, with one notable exception.”
The world respects other American leaders simply because they have a position of power in the US.
I doubt there is much awareness of them much as most Americans know not much more of (ritish politics than May (might still remember Cameron), or French than Hollande, or German than Merkel.
Regarding Trump they take their cues from the American mainstream press (and friends such as the BBC).
When they’re told Trump is a racist, fascist neo-Nazi they become understandably concerned and upset.
But my point was more a question of what do people in other countries think of their own leaders.
I hear Putin still has high poll numbers (if you trust them), but there is strong opposition to Merkel and Hollande.
I wonder how the Saudi or Chinese regimes would do in an honest poll.
Netanyahu has plenty of opposition in Israel – he may be facing arrest.
And I doubt the S Koreans are filled with love/respect for their leader who turned out to be a puppet of a weird cult.
@Corour
“Related, because this is the kind of realization that America must come to:
https://youtu.be/krhDzGyDzo0 Bravo Finland!”
Yeah. That is a good illustration of the difference between DJ Trump and some random “nationalist” in Saudinavia. Just compare their achievements and capabilities. Look at it and please understand that this will not work! Trash nationalist leftovers in Europe won’t do any good.
Please, just look at it! That won’t work.
Local Fluff:
I am not clear on your exact point here.
I am wondering if this Katie Walsh story is some new way where the external forces, whom ever they might be, either want to put a question mark next to a particular person for some reason in order to get them removed or just internally watched? A warning from the external forces to the internal forces?
Someone chose to write this particular story about this particular person for a particular reason. Information? Disinformation? But for what reason?
@Cotour
“I am not clear on your exact point here.”
My point is that some guy talking about this in front of nobody, which has been done for decades in Scandinavia, will continue to have no effect at all. There’s no Finnish Donald Trump. I mean, just look at it! And compare it to a Trump rally. The Finns haven’t got what it takes. They are to coward to be able to survive,
OK, I get you, a good point.
Thank you.
PS: The question that John Batchelor asked several of his guests last night?
Is this Katie Walsh story true?
No one would touch it, they could not confirm it.
Trump two days ahead of the curve again?
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_SWEDEN_RIOTS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2017-02-21-04-33-36
Just like when some radical nut goes off and commits some other murderous crime within our borders, then all of the outrage at the proper control of borders and immigrants, whether legal or not will disappear. Judges or no judges.
The statistics are again on Trumps side, its only a matter of time.
While this may be China’s public position, I question what, if anything, will actually happen. History shows China’s public announcements about sanctions against the DPRK fade away. Both countries’ financial dealings are opaque and there are multiple levels of chess being played out here, most importantly China’s power play against America in the South China Sea and in the world.
Look beyond what is said.
Frank-
Good point.
Personally, If the chi-com’s pronounced “the sky was blue,” I’d wonder what commie-deception they were pulling.