Top Armed Services Dem: Russia, China ‘Spectacularly Disingenuous’ on North Korea
Top Armed Services Dem: Russia, China ‘Spectacularly Disingenuous’ on North Korea, PJ Media, Bridget Johnson, July 5, 2017
(Please see also, North Korean Missiles Reaching USA. President Trump seems to have decided that joint action with China and Russia won’t work and that unilateral action by America will be needed. — DM)
South Korean army K-1 tanks move during the annual exercise in Paju, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, on July 5, 2017. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
China and Russia issued a joint statement calling Pyongyang’s ICBM test “unacceptable.”
“The two sides propose that the DPRK (North Korea) as a voluntary political decision declares a moratorium on testing nuclear explosive devices and ballistic rocket launches, and the US and South Korea refrain from carrying out large-scale joint exercises,” the statement said. “Parallel to this, the opposing sides should start negotiations and affirm general principles of their relations including the non-use of force, rejection of aggression and peaceful co-existence.”
“Neither one of them is doing a darn thing to stop North Korea. And they want to use it as an excuse to push us out of the region,” he added. “What we have to make clear to them is it’s going to have the exact opposite effect. Once North Korea is able to threaten us and even now, as they threaten our allies, we have to be in there to protect our own interests.
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The top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee declared this morning that the “threat from North Korea, regrettably, is not going to be removed” by the “global action” proposed by the Trump administration to curb Kim Jong-un’s behavior.
Pyongyang said Tuesday that it successfully test-fired Hwasong-14, a long-range intercontinental ballistic missile. According to Chosun Ilbo in South Korea, state TV in the North declared the regime “a full-fledged nuclear power… possessed of the most powerful intercontinental-ballistic rocket capable of hitting any part of the world.”
Kim reportedly watched the launch at the scene. The missile, said to be capable of reaching Alaska or Hawaii, flew for 39 minutes before hitting open waters.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson issued a statement Tuesday evening condemning the July Fourth launch. “Testing an ICBM represents a new escalation of the threat to the United States, our allies and partners, the region, and the world,” he said. “Global action is required to stop a global threat.”
“Any country that hosts North Korean guest workers, provides any economic or military benefits, or fails to fully implement UN Security Council resolutions is aiding and abetting a dangerous regime. All nations should publicly demonstrate to North Korea that there are consequences to their pursuit of nuclear weapons. We intend to bring North Korea’s provocative action before the UN Security Council and enact stronger measures to hold the DPRK accountable,” Tillerson continued.
“The United States seeks only the peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the end of threatening actions by North Korea. As we, along with others, have made clear, we will never accept a nuclear-armed North Korea.”
President Trump and his national security team “are continuing to assess the situation in close coordination with our allies and partners,” he added.
Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-Wash.) doubted that Tillerson’s vow would put pressure on North Korea.
“If there is an idea floating around out there for how we can remove that threat, I’m open to it. But we have been circling around this discussion of what we want China to do and what we want sanctions to do and all these other different pieces,” Smith said. “The bottom line is, what we need against North Korea, we need to put the best economic sanctions we can. I think it’s perfectly appropriate for the secretary of state to try to put pressure on other nations to do the same. But the most important thing we need is a credible military deterrent, so that whatever North Korea does in terms of building a missile, they know that if they act against South Korea or against Japan or against us, we will obliterate them.”
“That’s why THAAD [missile defense system] is important. That is why our alliance with South Korea and Japan is important, to have that credible military force, because what’s been proven — and all of the options have been discussed with your previous guests — is that North Korea is going to do it. They want to build nuclear weapons. They want to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile. And short of an all-out war on the Korean Peninsula, we don’t really have an option for stopping them.”
China and Russia issued a joint statement calling Pyongyang’s ICBM test “unacceptable.”
“The two sides propose that the DPRK (North Korea) as a voluntary political decision declares a moratorium on testing nuclear explosive devices and ballistic rocket launches, and the US and South Korea refrain from carrying out large-scale joint exercises,” the statement said. “Parallel to this, the opposing sides should start negotiations and affirm general principles of their relations including the non-use of force, rejection of aggression and peaceful co-existence.”
Smith slammed the statement as “spectacularly disingenuous.”
“Neither one of them is doing a darn thing to stop North Korea. And they want to use it as an excuse to push us out of the region,” he added. “What we have to make clear to them is it’s going to have the exact opposite effect. Once North Korea is able to threaten us and even now, as they threaten our allies, we have to be in there to protect our own interests. China’s not acting against North Korea. And the reason they’re not acting against North Korea is, they don’t want to cut off North Korea’s economic aid. They don’t want North Korea to collapse because they don’t want millions of North Korean refugees pouring across their border. They’re not happy that North Korea is causing such instability in the region, but the alternative of them trying to crush the regime somehow is something they’re not willing to do, and they haven’t been willing to do it through four administrations. So, we need a credible military deterrent, and that is our only option.”
Smith noted that Kim’s actions have been “all about ensuring regime survival,” as he’s “looked at Iraq and Afghanistan and Libya, and they feel that unless they have a nuclear weapon and a credible deterrent of their own, that their regime is in jeopardy.”
“So, all the economic sanctions, all that needs to be done. But understand what I’m saying here. As you have discussed, there is not a good military option,” he said. “Thinking that we can preemptively go in there and somehow take out their capabilities, whatever we do leads to a massive war in the Korean Peninsula… we need our THAAD system in the region. We need a system to give us a shot at shooting down that missile if they decide to launch it. And then we also need a clear diplomatic policy that we will destroy them.”
After the THAAD system was installed in South Korea, Trump said Seoul should fork over a billion dollars for the missile defense. New South Korean President Moon Jae-in recently suspended further THAAD deployment pending a review of the program.
Smith stressed that Russia and China must “stop screwing around.”
“If you guys really want us to be less involved in the region, then you have got to figure out a way to control North Korea,” he said. “Now, I don’t think they’re going to do that. But that means that we have to stay active in the region.”
Tags: China and North Korea, North Korea - negotiations, North Korean missiles, North Korean nukes, Russia and North Korea, South Korea, THAAD, Trump and North Korea
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WarSclerotic 
July 5, 2017 at 10:39 PM
China needs choose between their economy and the NORKS.
“A day before he meets face-to-face with Xi Jinping, President Trump is highlighting the enabler to North Korea. President Trump is smartly setting up a spotlight for the entire world to see who is creating the problem, China.
President Trump will never start a military war because it’s antithetical to his entire constitution. However, within the field of economic combat – watch out. Not only will Trump engage in economic warfare, he’s built an armory for decades, he’s positioned to win against any opponent. As such, the long-term adversary in this equation is not North Korea, it’s China.”
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2017/07/05/president-trump-highlights-increasing-trade-between-china-and-north-korea/
The USA is fully capable of crashing the economy of China if necessary. A half a trillion in trade is a lot of dough. Besides, they hold a trillion of our debt and as the saying goes….if you owe the bank a million dollars they own you, but if you owe the bank a trillion dollars, you own them.
Trump is merely forcing them to make a choice. After all, what are the options without going to war? The threat of nuclear attack grows daily and missile defense systems are not 100%. All it takes is one to destroy a city or a grid. Preemption may be on the horizon, so I hope China makes a wise choice.
July 6, 2017 at 3:27 PM
Aha , The USA is to big to pay his debts of ?
If the world drop the petro dollar now , the USA in gone economical .
IF the USA isolate themselves from the rest of the world it is over for the USA soon , back to the cows and chuck wagon , in your case alligator stew .
July 6, 2017 at 3:40 PM
As usual, I totally disagree with you. Never said any of that. Besides, take some time and learn a little about our Cajun culture. We do not make alligator stew. What we make is the finest alligator sauce piquante on planet earth as well as our endless varieties of gumbo. Cows, chuck wagon, alligator stew??? LOL
July 6, 2017 at 4:24 PM
O i see , your France/Canadian root culture is playing up a bit.
I really admire that !
Blackened alligator tail must be heaven for you ?
I,am in the know of the cooking from Paul Prudhomme
https://chefpaul.com/recipes
You swamp tigers do eat alligator stew ,i give you a recipe for alligator stew .
http://louisianaseafood.com/recipes/louisiana-alligator-creole-stew
and some music for when you eating your alligator stew
July 6, 2017 at 11:34 PM
Gee Joop, next time I need to learn more about the Cajun culture, I’ll check with you first. Bon appetit.
July 7, 2017 at 1:00 AM
Nah, no need for, just google a bit .
But in my home town a long long time ago we had a restaurant and the owner/chef was a Cajun lover an a Paul Prudhome addict .
July 7, 2017 at 4:16 AM
Joop you determine if my comments are allowed. But who over sees you? Your smart ass comments are many times ingnorant and condensating
July 7, 2017 at 6:47 AM
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder .
Nobody over sees me , get used to it , do not play it at the person, and grow up a bit you come over as being frustrated .
Next time if you comment in this way i will not approve it .
capice ?
July 5, 2017 at 11:03 PM
It’s no longer just a matter of kicking the can down the street, those chickens have come home to roost. It’s now a matter of resolute geopolitical action. The current US President is not your typical politician. Good, because, this requires not your typical political response.
July 6, 2017 at 4:21 AM
This is scary stuff. The real problem isn’t what we can or should do or what Russia/China/Japan can or should do. Logical discussion doesn’t mean much when you’re dealing with a fruitcake like Lil Kim. I don’t think he would hesitate to attack South Korea, and we’d have no choice but to help them defend themselves. That would most likely be a catastrophe, even if only conventional weapons were used.
July 6, 2017 at 3:28 PM
The doughnut with feet has to go , play hardball with China !
July 6, 2017 at 4:37 AM
If not now when? Kicking the can down the street only makes matters worse. Hand wringing is not the answer!