As once noted by CIA Director Mike Pompeo, U.S. President Donald Trump often does geopolitical messaging through twitter that is missed by the U.S. media but hits the target as subtle as a brick through a window. President Trump’s latest tweet on North Korea is a prime example.
If you view this tweet with the perspective that Chairman Kim Jong-un is essentially a hostage of Beijing masters, controlling the upper tier of his military, things make a lot more sense:

…And given the nature of the public comments by President Trump and Prime Minister Abe (transcript pending) during the current state visit; it would appear that Trump has enlisted Abe in hostage rescue efforts.

The target of the message is not only Chairman Kim, but more directly Chairman Xi Jinping.   This is not the first time President Trump has put Xi on notice that he understands the dynamic.
In prior tweets about this issue, specifically about China using North Korea as a foil against diminished economic issues, President Trump has been clearly indicating to Beijing his awareness of their manipulation:


The landscape has also changed.  The U.S. has moved to a position of direct confrontation with China over a variety of trade issues; and specifically their duplicity in negotiating without honorable intent.  It was not Vice-Chairman Liu He who was seen as negotiating in bad faith, it was Chairman Xi and Beijing who reneged on agreed terms.
As a result, the possibility for a trade agreement between the U.S. and China is now almost zero; and it is predictable that China would begin using the DPRK as their weaponized proxy province yet again.  Remember, President Trump has held direct face-to-face discussions, in private, with Chairman Kim Jong-un; and there’s no doubt this ultimate hostage question was presented and answered. [TWICE]
So with the latest tweet/message, President Trump is informing Chairman Xi that he knows any hostile DPRK action is directly attributable to China; and despite the current state of economic conflict between Team USA and Team China, President Trump has a lot more arrows in his punitive economic quiver which could be deployed.

The Chinese state media have been not-so-subtle in alluding to a current strategy of waiting out the next U.S. presidential election and hoping for a Joe Biden win.  All of these attached elements are present in the current public message from President Trump.
It will be interesting to watch what happens next in this high-stakes hostage rescue the entire MSM doesn’t even see…
One thing seems more clear, President Trump has enlisted Prime Minister Abe in the bigger aspect of this high-stakes regional challenge; and there’s no doubt Trump would rather extend economic benefit toward Japan, than China, for their assistance.

 

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