The MSM is insufferable in their intentional disconnect of the dynamic behind the North Korean denuclearization talks.  It was Chinese Chairman Xi Jinping who brought the DPRK to the table; and it was Chinese Chairman Xi Jinping who pushed North Korea away from the table in their manipulative efforts to extract trade concessions. Every other review of the geopolitical gamesmanship is chaff and countermeasures.

U.S. President Trump is holding massive steel and aluminum tariffs as an economic sword of Damocles over the head of Beijing during ongoing trade negotiations.  Chairman Xi sought to increase his own leverage by pulling North Korea’s Chairman Kim Jong-un away from bilateral peace and denuclearization talks.  However, POTUS Trump responded to the Beijing power-play by announcing a Section 232 trade review over the entire auto-industry; and then bolstered his counter-move by cancelling talks with Kim Jong-un.

Red Dragon didn’t expect President Trump to respond so effectively to the customary schemes notoriously famous in any Chinese negotiation encounter. I really believe Chairman Xi underestimates how adept POTUS Trump is at cutting through the obfuscation and obtuse moves.

President Trump simply doesn’t operate in the land of traditional diplomatic discomfort… he doesn’t have any inclination to play these insufferable games.

Within minutes of President Trump withdrawing from the June 12th summit, Beijing realized all of their trade leverage was just wiped out.  Playing deceptive panda isn’t going to work this time.

(Via AP) – North Korea says it is still willing to sit down for talks with the United States “at any time, at any format” after President Donald Trump abruptly canceled his planned summit with Kim Jong Un.

Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan issued a statement Friday saying North Korea is “willing to give the U.S. time and opportunities” to reconsider talks.

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President Trump has made the decision to withdraw from the scheduled June 12th summit with North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un.  [Copy of letter below]

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Ultimately the decision to withdraw is an outcome of changes in posture initiated strategically by China and Chairman Xi Jinping.  China hoping to leverage a U.S. trade outcome by playing the strings on DPRK Chairman Kim Jong-un.

The timing of the meetings between China and DPRK, mirrors the changes in posture by the DPRK and reflects a transparency.  Communist Beijing is engaging with the Trump administration in traditional dragon-mode their zero-sum outlook.  In response, President Trump drops the Panda approach and confronts the manipulation directly.

Likely President Trump will immediately increase sanction enforcement and reposition again for a pending naval blockade.

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An important meeting today in the Oval Office between U.S. President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.   Obviously the primary discussion was over the issues of North Korea nuclear program, and the possible denuclearization summit between President Trump and North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un.

Due to the importance of the topics discussed the traditional Oval Office greeting was extended, and both President Trump and President Moon Jae-in used the opportunity for an impromptu press conference.

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After a second meeting with Chinese Chairman Xi Jinping, the voices behind Chairman Kim Jong-un changed their tone in media presentations and and became more hostile toward the goal of a denuclearization summit.  This example showcase Beijing exerting control over the DPRK to gain strategic trade and economic benefits.

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Earlier this afternoon President Donald Trump hosted 2017 NASCAR Cup Series Champion Martin Truex Jr. and the Furniture Row racing team at the White House:

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WH South Lawn – 2:28 P.M. EDT – THE PRESIDENT: Come on up here. A lot of courage, driving those cars. A lot of courage. Good afternoon. Today, I’m thrilled to welcome the 2017 NASCAR Champion, Martin Truex Jr. That is fantastic. (Applause.) And, Sherry, thank you. But I’m going to be mentioning you in a little while, Sherry. Thank you very much. And the entire Furniture Row Racing Team to the White House. Thank you, Furniture Row. (Applause.) Thank you. Great job.

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Economic security is national security. “Economic growth, national security, those are the Presidents’ two most important priorities” ~ Secretary Mnuchin.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin discusses the ongoing trade negotiation with China and the specifics of sector-by-sector agreements in principle. The overall approach by the Trump administration is to balance the trade relationship through opening of Chinese markets to U.S. exports and retain stability within U.S. manufacturing sectors.

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The dragon is in the details…. and that’s where you find slayer-Secretary Wilbur Ross!

After over a year of discussions and structured way-points, China came into last weeks U.S. trade talks with outstretched steel fists. The delegation they sent to the negotiating table were some of the most loyal and die-hard communist leaders within their national economic team.

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Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin appears on Fox News Sunday for an interview with the insufferable swamp gatekeeper Chris Wallace.  The primary topic is China and the ongoing trade discussions.  However, look at the stone cold stare from Mnuchin at the very end when he points out that Wallace never even brought up the important Iran sanctions.  If looks could kill, Wallace would have spontaneously combusted.

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[Read To End] Former CIA Director John Brennan took to twitter today in response to President Trump’s notification of a formal intent to request DOJ review of politicization of the United States intelligence apparatus:

Brennan Tweet Link – Hi John !

Interesting choice and timing… then again, not unexpected:

“A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself.”

“For the traitor appears not a traitor; he speaks in accents familiar to his victims, and he wears their face and their arguments, he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation, he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of the city, he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to fear.”  ~ Marcus Tullius Cicero

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The White House has released a “Joint Statement of the United States and China Regarding Trade Consultations“:

“At the direction of President Donald J. Trump and President Xi Jinping, on May 17 and 18, 2018, the United States and China engaged in constructive consultations regarding trade in Washington, D.C. The United States delegation included Secretary of the Treasury Steven T. Mnuchin, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur L. Ross, and United States Trade Representative Robert E. Lighthizer. The Chinese delegation was led by State Council Vice Premier Liu He, Special Envoy of President Xi.”

“There was a consensus on taking effective measures to substantially reduce the United States trade deficit in goods with China. To meet the growing consumption needs of the Chinese people and the need for high-quality economic development, China will significantly increase purchases of United States goods and services. This will help support growth and employment in the United States.”

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DAY#3 – Everyone has a role to play. While President Trump’s ‘killers’ sharpen dragon-slaying strategy, NEC Chairman Larry Kudlow rubs Big Panda’s belly and discusses the optimistic outlook toward the ongoing trade negotiations with China.

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In Part II of the interview chairman cuddle-bunny discusses the issues of intellectual property rights, patents and copyright protections.

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National Economic Council Chairman Larry Kudlow appeared on Fox Business earlier Thursday to talk about the ongoing U.S. China trade negotiations. Those who follow the Dragon -vs- Panda strategies of China saw earlier yesterday how Chairman Xi Jinping was positioning N-Korea as leverage for the current trade negotiations.

The DPRK dragon-play didn’t work because President Trump knows the dragon’s moves, and predicted their approach from the outset. Remember, POTUS Trump began executing a geopolitical economic strategy toward both North Korea and China well over a year ago. [During the first meeting with Chairman Xi Jinping in Mar-a-Lago (Feb, 2017)]

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After over a year of discussions and structured way-points, China came into the current round of U.S. trade talks with outstretched steel fists. The line-up they sent to the negotiating table are some of the most loyal and die-hard communist leadership within their economic team.

It is obvious China is in dragon-mode knowing they are dealing with an entirely different administration than they faced before.

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