Skip to Content

USS Vinson

China, Russia coordinate a response to North Korean crisis

China and Russia have sent spy ships to track the USS Carl Vinson, a US strike group heading towards the Korean peninsula.

Published: April 18, 2017, 11:23 am

    Read more

    More than a week after reports first emerged that president Trump had sent the aircraft carrier and its accompanying ships toward the peninsula to pressure China and North Korea, it appears to be the only real action China has so far taken during the crisis, suggesting close military cooperation between Beijing and Moscow, and not Beijing and Washington as Western media reports have suggested.

    President Trump’s National Security Adviser General McMaster had declared earlier that China was “working” with the US on a “range of options” to solve the Korean crisis.

    As the US aircraft carrier Carl Vinson and its accompanying escort ships come within striking distance of North Korea, a Japanese newspaper, Yomiuri Shimbun, revealed the presence of Russian and Chinese spy ships to monitor US movements. The Japanese government had dispatched its own warships to join the task force led by Carl Vinson.

    According to Yomiuri Shimbun “numerous sources within the Japanese government” have confirmed the presence of the spy ships. The Japanese daily notes: “The dispatch of the intelligence-gathering vessels appears to be partly aimed at sending a warning signal to the United States”.

    The move by Russia and China furthermore supports a long-held rumour that there is a secret agreement for intelligence sharing between the two countries. The joint decision to shadow the Carl Vinson would have had to involve both Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping coming to an agreement, Alexander Mercouris, a political commentator said.

    “The Carl Vinson Strike Group cancelled a previously planned port visit to Australia and is continuing on track for all assigned missions in the Western Pacific,” the latest US Navy statement read.

    But according to a report by South Korea’s primary news outlet, Yonhap, the Pentagon has directed a total of three US aircraft carriers toward the Korean Peninsula, citing a South Korean government source.

    Yonhap reports that in addition to the CVN-70 Carl Vinson, expected to arrive off the South Korean coast on April 25, the CVN-76 Ronald Reagan – currently in home port in Yokosuka, Japan – and the CVN-68 Nimitz carrier group – near Oregon – will enter the Sea of Japan next week.

    Japan is nervous about mounting tensions with its closest neighbour. The head of the New Party Daichi, said it was necessary to involve North Korea in a dialogue as the pressure on Pyongyang should not be considered as the only way to resolve the crisis on the Korean peninsula.

    Muneo Suzuki, the head of the New Party Daichi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s unofficial adviser on Russian relations, explained: “I believe that pressure should not remain the only tool of interaction. At the same time we must try to involve North Koreans in a dialogue on the international arena.”

    Suzuki told the Izvestia newspaper: “One should express wisdom, find a right approach – that will not be easy but it does not mean that one should sit idle.”

    Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi too repeated China’s resolve that the crisis could only be addressed through diplomacy. Currently China and North Korea maintain “normal contacts, including normal business contacts”, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang.

    North Korea has warned of a nuclear strike against the United States if provoked. US Vice Foreign Minister Han Song-Ryol told the BBC that missiles are going be tested on “a weekly, monthly and yearly basis”.

    Meanwhile US Vice President Mike Pence arrived in Tokyo from South Korea, where he reminded Japanese leaders of their “iron-clad” alliance with the United States. As with China, Pence’s economic discussions will certainly focus on the US trade deficit with Japan.

    On April 14, US media reported that US President Donald Trump had warned that he would order a strike against North Korea if Pyongyang decided to carry out another nuclear weapon test.

    In response, North Korean armed forces threatened a strike against US military bases in Japan and South Korea, as well as the presidential residence in Seoul in case of US aggression.

    Consider donating to support our work

    Help us to produce more articles like this. FreeWestMedia is depending on donations from our readers to keep going. With your help, we expose the mainstream fake news agenda.

    Keep ​your language polite​. Readers from many different countries visit and contribute to Free West Media and we must therefore obey the rules in​,​ for example​, ​Germany. Illegal content will be deleted.

    If you have been approved to post comments without preview from FWM, you are responsible for violation​s​ of​ any​ law. This means that FWM may be forced to cooperate with authorities in a possible crime investigation.

    If your comments are subject to preview ​by FWM, please be patient. We continually review comments but depending on the time of day it can take up to several hours before your comment is reviewed.

    We reserve the right to del​ete​ comments that are offensive, contain slander or foul language, or are irrelevant to the discussion.

    Americas

    Ohio disaster: When hedge funds manage rail traffic

    East PalestineAfter the derailment of a freight train loaded with highly toxic chemicals in the US state of Ohio, a devastating environmental catastrophe may now be imminent. The wagons burned for days, and a "controlled" explosion by the authorities released dangerous gases into the environment.

    US President Biden orders ‘spy’ balloon to be shot down

    WashingtonThe US President gave the order to shoot down China's "spy balloon". The balloon had caused US Secretary of State Blinken to cancel a trip to Beijing. In the meantime, a second balloon was sighted.

    US is heading for a financial ‘catastrophe’ US Treasury Secretary warns

    WashingtonOn January 19, 2023, the United States hit its debt ceiling of $31.4 trillion. The country faces a recession if it defaults on its debt, the US Treasury Secretary warned in an interview. Her warning underscored the danger of printing money.

    Gun violence: More risk in Chicago and Philadelphia than Iraq, Afghanistan

    Providence, Rhode IslandA striking statistic: young Americans are several times more likely to be injured by a gun in cities like Chicago and Philadelphia than they are while serving as a soldier in a foreign country.

    Elon Musk, the first person in history to destroy $200 billion in a year

    Never before in human history has a person lost as much money in one year as Elon Musk did in 2022. The Tesla and Twitter boss lost $200 billion last year. However, with his remaining $137 billion, he is still the second richest person in the world.

    Extreme cold and winter storms sweep across US

    More than a million households without electricity, thousands of canceled flights, temperatures in the double-digit minus range and already 41 fatalities: The US is being overwhelmed by an enormous cold wave.

    Soros sponsors violent leftists and anti-police lobby as US crime surges

    WashingtonThe mega-speculator and "philanthropist" George Soros remains true to himself – he has been sponsoring anti-police left-wing groups with billions of dollars.

    FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried arrested after crypto billions go missing

    NassauHe is no longer sitting in his fancy penthouse, but in a cell in the Bahamas: Sam Bankman-Fried (30), founder of the crypto company FTX, is said to be responsible for the theft of 37 billion euros. An interesting fact is that media in the EU have so far kept this crime thriller almost completely secret.

    How Twitter helped Biden win the US presidency

    WashingtonThe short message service Twitter massively influenced the US presidential election campaign two years ago in favor of the then candidate Joe Biden. The then incumbent Donald Trump ultimately lost the election. Internal e-mails that the new owner, Elon Musk, has now published on the short message service show how censorship worked on Twitter. The 51-year-old called it the “Twitter files”.

    Alberta PM suspends cooperation with WEF

    EdmontonThe newly elected Premier Danielle Smith of the province of Alberta in Canada has recently made several powerful statements against the globalist foundation World Economic Forum and its leader Klaus Schwab. She has also decided to cancel a strange consulting agreement that WEF had with the state.

    Go to archive