The Iran-Korea nuclear trouble is what Trump himself makes of it

By APD Writer Wang Peng

A rumor about DPRK’s latest test was haunting Chinese public sphere

A piece of earth shattering news was coming from the northeast on Saturday. In accordance with the fresh report of China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC), it was suspected a 3.4 degree earthquake in DPRK. The epicenter was monitored at 31.3 degrees north latitude and 100.9 degrees east longitude with a depth of about 7 kilometers. The title of this news was ‘Suspected Bomb’ in CENC’s official website.

However, different from the China Earthquake Networks Center, South Korea’s Yonhap Agency reported that this 3.0 magnitude earthquake detected near DPRK’s nuclear test site Saturday is presumed to have been a natural quake, as South Korea’s Meteorological Administration said just half an hour later than CENC report.

Although more details and specifics remain to be verified, People’s Daily, the most authoritative Chinese party newspaper confirmed Yonhap’s statement. So the public may widely believe that this is just an ‘oolong event’, which may partially due to a sad fact that (Chinese) people are too nervous about the normal reaction of DPRK toward the external pressure.

A true ballistic missile test was launched in Iran

However, by contrast, similar reports about Iranian’s latest test of missiles are really true. As USA Today reports, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard on Friday unveiled its latest ballistic missile capable of reaching much of the Middle East, including Israel, while the country’s president vowed that Tehran would press ahead with its missile program in defiance of U.S. demands to the contrary.

As many commented, this move conducted by Tehran was a direct challenge to President Trump, who not only signed a bill imposing mandatory penalties on those involved in Iran’s ballistic missile program and anyone who does business with them in August, but also rebuked Iran at the UN General Assembly on 19th September, even menaced to tear up the agreement about Iranian nuclear issue signed by Obama Administration. Obviously, Trump’s arbitrary behaviors enraged both Pyongyang and Tehran at the same time.

Trump makes enemies everywhere: so these slaps are what he deserves

Considering the long lasting ‘Rashomonized’ US-Iranian and US-DPRK rivalry, especially when we just analyze Trump’s tactics and the strategic responses from Pyongyang and Tehran technically, it is safe to say that Trump lacks of the art of global leadership, as well as the strategies of struggles.

As the old western proverb ‘divide and rule/conquer’ suggests, it is truely unwise for Trump to make enemies from two different strategic directions, one in East Asia, the other in Middle East. However, it is what he is doing now.

That is why all the world media are waiting for the next slap made by Kim, or namely the ‘rocket man’ in Trump’s words, against the ‘Dotard’ – an old President of the U.S. with serious mental deficiency as Kim recriminated.

Funny words, however, cannot solve the severe security dilemma, if not make situations even worse. Both the ‘Dotard’ and ‘Rocket man’ are becoming the most popular buzzwords online now. They are not the first insults between this pair of rivals. Kim and Trump have hurled at each other during the recent eight months, since the very beginning when Trump came to power in America. There are too many other insults they’ve exchanged in their high-stakes name-calling contest.

An uncompromising statement read by Kim Jong-un on September 21 threatens to take the ‘highest level of hardline countermeasure in history’ against U.S. President Donald Trump, according to the reports of DPRK’s Central News Agency. From then on, the world media are curious about what the ‘highest level of hardline countermeasure’ really means.

Now the ‘suspected bomb’ posed by CENC has been falsified, but when will the next missile be launched by either Pyongyang and Tehran is just a matter of time. Perhaps weeks or days later, Trumps will regretfully see that DPRK and Iran are making troubles either at the same time with highly tacit understanding, or in turn and continually that leaves no time for him to breathe.

Dr. Wang Peng, Fellow at APD Institute. Research Associate at the Charhar Institute and China Institute of Fudan University.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)