Rumors of War - Kings of the East

Trump, Moon, Abe express support for added pressure on North Korea - UPI.com
UPI reports: "U.S. President Donald Trump and the leaders of Japan and South Korea took a united stand against the Kim Jong Un regime before the G20 summit in Hamburg. Trump, South Korean President Moon Jae-in, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed on Thursday to increase pressure on North Korea, South Korean news service News 1 reported. There may have also been suggestions from Trump that new economic sanctions should target firms doing business with North Korea, according to The Korea Times."

China must take stronger role in solving North Korean problem, scholars say - UPI.com UPI reports: "U.S. scholars Thursday urged China to take decisive action on the growing threat from North Korea after Pyongyang's successful launch this week of an intercontinental ballistic missile. While China is tightening up economic relations with North Korea, Chinese leaders would have to go much further to satisfy U.S. concerns, said Bonnie Glaser, senior advisor for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. [...] A report issued by CSIS at the meeting said that Beijing clearly prefers regime stability to denuclearization of North Korea, and is therefore purposefully opting not to apply maximum pressure by implementing the fullest possible sanctions."

Comment: I'm skeptical that the G20 Summit will lead to any breakthroughs on North Korea but it's nice to see a consensus emerge that China should do more but probably won't. What's next? I expect the U.S. and allies to push for more trade sanctions, which will either anger China or force them to change their approach.  My money is on anger and inaction.