China angrily denounced the beginning of America’s THAAD deployment to South Korea on Tuesday, vowing “consequences” for both Washington and Seoul as the anti-missile system comes online.
Multiple reports in South Korean and Japanese news outlets suggest Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will be visiting Asia as early as next weekend, seeking to unite South Korea, Japan, and China in cooperation against a growing North Korea threat.
Contents: Vietnam protests China’s fishing ban in the South China Sea; China’s fishing ban related to food security in times of war; North Korea fires four ballistic missiles into sea near Japan
Contents: Malaysia expels North Korea’s ambassador Kang Chol; Malaysia accused of fronting North Korean weapons sales; Kim Han-sol, son of Kim Jong-nam, under guard to prevent North Korean assassination; New sanctions indicate China is running out of patience with Kim Jong-un
The Chinese Communist Party has commanded travel agencies not to book tours to South Korea and appears to have blocked South Korean entertainment, including popular television dramas, in response to Seoul’s accelerated moves to install a missile defense system that can reach into China.
Numerous articles in Chinese state-controlled media are encouraging Chinese nationals to boycott the Lotte Group, a South Korean conglomerate that recently approved a land deal making the deployment of a new U.S. missile defense system in the country possible.
Contents: China announces it will block imports of North Korea’s coal; Assassination of Kim Jong-un’s half-brother in Malaysia threatens relations with China and North Korea
Contents: UN Security Council condemns North Korea missile tests; China’s foreign policy becomes complicated by North Korean test; America’s likely response: More THAAD and Aegis missile defense systems
Contents: China places missiles on Russia’s border — to gain respect and attack America; Centuries-old Russia-China border dispute could lead to another war
The Pentagon announced on Wednesday that Secretary of Defense James Mattis will visit Japan and South Korea in early February, on his first overseas trip since confirmation.
Russia responded to the arrival of 3,000 U.S. troops in Poland by deploying advanced S-400 anti-aircraft missiles around Moscow.
The political crisis in South Korea came to a head on Friday, as the National Assembly voted to impeach President Park Geun-hye. A two-thirds majority vote was needed.
The Yonhap news agency reports that South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn will ask President-Elect Donald Trump to support South Korea’s efforts to denuclearize North Korea.
Contents: Pakistan expected to retaliate after India invades Pakistani soil in Kashmir; China threatens Japan, South Korea and U.S. all in one day
Contents: Russia massing tanks and troops in Ukraine on northern border of Crimea; China’s fury grows over South Korea’s plan to deploy THAAD anti-missile system
Contents: N. Korean officials reportedly alarmed at Kim Jong-un’s drinking and massive weight gain; North Korean missile strikes sea close to Japan, threatening radar base
Contents: China and Russia vociferously hostile to South Korea’s THAAD deployment; South Korea’s fears of an attack from North Korea; Problems, issues and capabilities surrounding the Thaad system
In an apparent rebuke to the United States for discussing the possibility of an anti-missile shield with South Korea, China and Russia have announced they will hold their first joint anti-missile drill.
President Obama teased a missile shield for South Korea in an interview on Tuesday, a tacit acknowledgement that the North Korean threat is growing more serious.
