Almost everyone understands the term “re branding”. Don’t laugh when you consider the possibility of re-branding Kim Jong-un; and more importantly, as an outcome, the entire geopolitical architecture of North Korea.  Rebranding takes time. This type of re branding takes silent and subtle persuasion.

It’s not a short term process, but look for indicators like this to ever-so-slowly morph. China’s Xi Jinping seeding ploughshares over missiles needs careful and controlled fertilization.
Business suits replacing General’s uniforms would be very good for the people of North Korea. Ultimately that’s an honorable goal.
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Chairman Xi is sending his CPC special envoy, Song Tao, to North Korea.

Song Tao, special envoy of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Xi Jinping, will leave for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Friday.  (Story Here)

This is President/Chairman Xi Jinping, now fully empowered by the communist party in Beijing, sending the party apparatus to talk to Kim Jong-un.  Previously these instructions would have come from Beijing’s old guard.  However, Chairman Xi now commands all power over the communist government; he doesn’t need their approval any longer.
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LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley and Jalem Hill have embarrassed our country, our president, their school and their families.  A day prior to President Trump’s arrival in China the three UCLA Bruin freshman basketball players were arrested in Shanghai, China for stealing sunglasses from a Louis Vuitton store near the team hotel.
In addition to being a national embarrassment, they were facing harsh legal consequences in China that would forever destroy their lives.  However, during President Trump’s meeting with Communist Chinese President Xi Jinping, he asked for leniency.

While President Trump is en route back to the U.S. from the 12 day Asia trip, Chairman Xi Jinping has released the three thieves:

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Three UCLA basketball players detained in China on suspicion of shoplifting are on a plane back to Los Angeles.

Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott said Tuesday the matter “has been resolved to the satisfaction of the Chinese authorities.”

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CTH has a strong sense that when the final analysis on Venezuela’s ongoing socialist struggle is written, some years from now, the geopolitical strategy used by the Trump administration will be taught in political science classes. [Backstory Here]
As a result of horrific socialist policies, primarily driven by using oil production to maintain it’s socialist governance, Venezuela is under massive debt and desperate for cash.  The United States was one of the few remaining cash purchasers of Venezuela oil before U.S. Secretary of Treasury  Mnuchin imposed sanctions.
Previously China and Russia purchased Maduro’s oil, however their current purchases are/were all made as offsets, repayments, for prior loans.  China and Russia already own 49% of Venezuela’s state oil company PDVSA. Venezuela repays China and Russia with oil, but Venezuela needs cash revenue. It doesn’t generate additional revenue for Maduro if China and Russia purchase more oil, it only pays down the Venezuelan debt.
Venezuela needs money.  However, if anyone engages in restructured debt or further loans or bond holdings to Maduro they run the risk of running afoul of Secretary Mnuchin’s sanctions which could have a downstream effect of freezing their own banks and international financial systems from engagement with U.S. banks.
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President Trump and President Xi delivered remarks to the international audience in The Great Hall in Beijing China, and suddenly the word “remarks” seems inappropriate.
President Xi Jinping delivered the customary speech, albeit with nuance specific to the guest and audience, with a carefully worded assembly familiar to almost anyone who has read speeches and messaging approved by Beijing. As customary within the cunning assembly of those words; the state media apparatus then tells the consuming audience what they mean. Or at least that’s the familiar pattern.
However, then came Trump…
President Trump followed President Xi’s remarks with a speech as deliberate and unambiguous as the internal audience would ever fathom hearing.  President Trump respectfully pulled no punches in his direct and emphatic style; stating that China needed to engage in, well, to use China’s familiar wording, “correct thinking” on a variety of issues – including trade and their necessary responsibility toward North Korea.
No-one else could pull this off, except Trump. Not that way. The best part is always the emphatic part at the end.  President Trump gives the look saying: well, that’s that then; that’s all I’ve got to say about that... smiles bigly, and the diplomatic opponent tries not to look smaller than they were ten minutes earlier. [key word, ‘tries‘] WATCH:

While President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping are conducting official state business, First Lady Melania Trump and China’s first lady Madame Pen Liyaun visit a Beijing, China, Art and Design School.
*Geopolitical Note* The messaging here is toward U.S. trade sanctions on intellectual property theft by Chinese companies.  The intended objective here is to show they have the capability to create their own design ideas.  Theft of trademark products, and the re-manfacturing of those falsely branded products, is a huge part of China’s black-market economy and a large part of the ongoing U.S. led trade sanctions review.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is hosting a welcoming for U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. For the first time in history this event will be broadcast live on Chinese State TV.  Anticipated start time 8:30pm (U.S. Eastern Time)
For additional perspective, the first livestream below is the actual livestream the Chinese People will be permitted to watch:
UPDATE: Video Added – **NOTE** This was a historic first-ever live broadcast of a Chinese President welcoming a U.S. President at the official ceremony.  The pageantry was the highest level China presents in public display honoring any visiting head of state; and U.S. Media never carried it.  Let that sink in.

A compensating shift amid a modern era of communication.

Communist Beijing generally considers uncontrolled communication a potential threat; however that’s why they elevated President Xi Jinping – to navigate this modern era reality.  It is largely the responsibility of Xi to retain control yet provide the optics of free engagement.  Within that dynamic President Xi is allowing the broadcast of the welcoming ceremony – again, predictably, with very tight production controls anticipated.

In a rare and unprecedented step, President Donald Trump’s official ceremonial welcome at the Great Hall of the People will be broadcast live today on national television throughout China, state broadcaster CCTV said.  The event is scheduled for a broadcast at 8:20pm (U.S. EST).  However, in keeping tight control – the more hazardous (11:30pm) press conference will not be carried.
President Trump knows the game, check out his twitter banner image to see POTUS showcase the production quality of propaganda.
Overview of events: In the morning, [9:20am (local) / 8:20pm (U.S. EST)] President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will participate in a welcome ceremony with President Xi Jinping of the Peoples Republic of China and Madame Peng Liyuan.
The President will then have a restricted bilateral meeting with President Xi, before having an expanded meeting. Following the meetings, the President will attend a business event with President Xi.
In the afternoon, the President will deliver a joint press statement with President Xi (scheduled for 11:30pm U.S. Eastern).  Later, the President will meet with Premier Li Keqiang of the Peoples Republic of China. The President and First Lady will then participate in an embassy meet and greet.
In the evening, the President and the First Lady will participate in a State Dinner receiving line, followed by a state dinner and cultural performance.
Schedule Below:
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Panda Reacts To Finding Lion Tracks Amid Shrinking Bamboo Forest !

A Chinese central planner, Zhang Yong, the vice-head of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), made a statement today (during the communist party congress) that carries much more significance than most people recognize.

The statement was made on behalf of communist China’s central planners and is directed toward what sectors of their economy they will focus investment (emphasis mine).

BEIJING (Reuters) – China will introduce measures aimed at guiding private investment into areas that have a higher growth potential, a senior official with the state planning agency said on Saturday.
China also would take steps to lower the investment threshold for private investors, said Zhang Yong, the vice-head of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), during a briefing on the sidelines of China’s Communist Party Congress.
The manufacturing industry as well as the property market, which have been driving private investment, are now quite weak, Zhang said.
“Now we want to attract investment in sectors with growth potential such as subway projects.” (link)

Notice two key points: #1 forecast growth in manufacturing is seen as “quite weak”, and #2 they are shifting toward building their own domestic transportation infrastructure.
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For those who have followed the months-long strategy of President Trump toward North Korea and China, the latest words from China fall squarely into place. Unfortunately for those who have not followed the approach, the consequential nuance will be lost.
What is happening publicly is entirely predictable when we accept what is happening privately, against the backdrop of activity that has taken place since February of this year.
Remember the Trumpian objective of creating the “Magnanimous Panda” as you read these latest words from Beijing:

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – Reacting to remarks by North Korea’s foreign minister on Monday, China’s U.N. Ambassador Liu Jieyi told Reuters the escalating rhetoric between North Korea and the United States was getting too dangerous and the only solution was negotiations.
North Korea’s Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho told reporters that President Donald Trump had declared war on North Korea and Pyongyang reserves the right to take countermeasures, including shooting down U.S. bombers even if not in its air space.

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