Secretary Rex Tillerson Announces Travel to China Sept 28th – October 1st…

Well, well, well…. According to a breaking State Department release T-Rex will be headed to Beijing the day after tomorrow (Thursday) through Sunday.   Yup, everything proceeding swimmingly.  A very predictable plan, for an intensely smart geopolitical strategy.  Walking in a Winner Wonderland !

STATE DEPT – U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will travel to Beijing September 28 – October 1 to meet with senior Chinese leaders. Secretary Tillerson will discuss a range of issues, including the President’s planned travel to the region, the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and trade and investment. Secretary Tillerson’s visit to China reaffirms the Administration’s commitment to further broaden and enhance U.S. economic and security interests in the Asia-Pacific region.

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"Magnanimous Panda" – China's Envoy Worried About "Dangerous Rhetoric"…

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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NAFTA Round Three Begins in Canada – Secretary Wilbur Ross Discusses NAFTA, North Korea and China…

Round three of NAFTA begins this weekend in Canada.  According to a leaked possible itinerary obtained by Reuters the auto-sector “rules of origin” will be discussed on Tuesday or Wednesday.
The auto sector rules of origin have been exploited by China to send auto manufacturing parts into Mexico, including massive electronic components, where they are assembled and shipped into the U.S. under NAFTA.  This trade maneuver is an exploitation, a back-door per se’, of the NAFTA agreement by China which Secretary Ross and USTR Robert Lighthizer are committed to stopping.
Secretary Wilbur Ross explains in this recent CNBC interview. WATCH:


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President Trump Announces New Sanctions Against North Korea…

During a luncheon with South Korea (Moon Jae-in) and Japan (Shinzo Abe), U.S. President Donald Trump announces new sanctions against North Korea (Kim Jong-un).
Moments prior to President Trump’s statement, Beijing (China’s Red Dragon ‘old guard’ communists), announced their central bank has instructed all of China’s banks to stop financial transactions with DPRK entities (proxy provincial financial systems).  Beijing (Red Dragon) is attempting to retain their panda mask as an economic necessity to the international community.  President Trump’s economic pressure is unrelenting:

-Panda Sees Lion Tracks In Shrinking Bamboo Forest-

China has no cultural or political space between peace and war; they are a historic nation based on two points of polarity.  Beijing sees peace and war as coexisting with each other. China accepts and believes opposite or contrary forces may actually be complementary, interconnected, and interdependent in the natural world, and they may give rise to each other as they interrelate to one another.  Flowing between these polar states is a natural dynamic to be used -with serious contemplation- in advancing objectives as needed.
The Chinese objective is to win, to dominate, using economic power.
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Trump Doctrine: President Trump Meets With The Amir of Qatar Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani…

The effectiveness of the Trump Doctrine is never more visible than when President Trump meets with a recipient, in this case Qatar, and is able to assume the role of good cop negotiator in common cause.
President Trump participated in an expanded meeting with the Amir of Qatar Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani at the New York Palace Hotel. WATCH:


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TRUMP DOCTRINE: ♦ President Trump forces the Gulf Cooperation Council (Gulf States, GCC) to own their stake in bringing the extremists within the Muslim Brotherhood under control. Trump doesn’t withdraw the U.S., but rather outlines the expectation that Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates and Oman take lead and pressure the Brotherhood’s enabler, Qatar. The U.S. supports the GCC and their efforts, but the ownership is directly assigned to the GCC to create the necessary peace. President Trump then takes the role of negotiator in common cause.
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Well, Well, Well – Beijing Calls For "Six Party Talks"…

Yesterday President Trump called Xi Jinping; CTH noted the pattern.  The reason – today President Trump would be messaging toward Beijing.  [There is a difference between talking to Xi Jinping, and talking to Beijing.] Well, did anyone notice President Trump referencing the post WWII “Marshall Plan” today during his U.N. Speech?
And….

Sept. 19 (UPI) China’s foreign ministry is urging other countries to return to the “spirit” of the six-party talks and seeking more diplomatic cooperation on North Korea.
Beijing’s diplomatic spokesman Lu Kang said Tuesday that China places value on the Sept. 19 joint statement of the six-party talks, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported. (link)

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USTR Robert Lighthizer Outlines U.S. Trade Priorities – Trump Administration Willing to Confront WTO Multinationals…

In about a week Round #3 of NAFTA renegotiations begin in Canada.  Dispute settlement and country of origin rules are widely anticipated to be key points of disagreement.
For those who follow trade and economics closely, the latest Trump trade policy outline from U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer is buckets of good news. President Trump, Commerce Secretary Ross and USTR Lighthizer willing to confront the World Trade Organization (WTO), the epicenter of multinational economics and globalism.


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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The WTO dispute settlement system is “deficient” and has often ruled in favor of free trade that overlooks details of a trade agreement, U.S. trade envoy Robert Lighthizer said on Monday.
Speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Lighthizer, a trade lawyer, made clear that the administration was poised to push for major changes to the global trade system during upcoming meetings of the Geneva-based trade body. WTO member countries will meet in Buenos Aires on Dec 10.
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President Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu Meet at U.N. Conference – Thoughts on Bigger Picture…

U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meet on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly today in New York.
In a brief joint press availability President Trump stated an optimistic outlook, “an absolute go”, toward the potential for a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas.


CTH readers will note the ongoing quiet diplomacy that has been a foundational block of the Trump administration from day-one.   In an under-reported recent development Hamas has agreed to hand Gaza to a unity government of the Palestinian Authority.
Those who follow the mid-east closely will note the need for Hamas and the P.A. to align in singular voice was a precondition to the stabilization efforts of Egypt when President Fattah al-Sisi negotiated cease-fire terms in 2014.  President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry were cut-out from the conversation that eventually led to that cease-fire.
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Pattern Recognition – Readout: President Trump Calls President Xi Jinping of China…

It is important for political travelers deep in the weeds to reference and recognize patterns that encompass significant geopolitical events.  Businessman Donald Trump has, as a natural disposition of his approach, always maintained a specific engagement pattern of respect toward his adversaries; he carries this same approach into the diplomatic role of the presidency.
Tomorrow President Trump will be speaking to the U.N. General Assembly. There is a great deal of anticipatory media reporting circling how  international community are evaluating the administration; and how President Trump will outline the “Trump Doctrine”.
CTH readers have already identified the specifics of the Trump Doctrine not through high-brow analysis, but simply by looking at the action taken and the geopolitical approach of using economics as transactional leverage to gain national security objectives.
When President Trump discusses the issues with North Korea tomorrow, there will be a clarity of purposeful intent broadcast toward the larger international community.  However, the specific target of that address as it relates to the DPRK will be squarely aimed at Beijing.
How can an interested follower be assured of this prediction?
Simple really, it goes back to the diplomatic pattern recognition.   When POTUS Trump is planning on delivering a bitter pill of truth, he takes the lumps out in advance via direct contact with the economic adversary who will bear the brunt of internal demands for response.
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