'The sword stands ready': Vice President Mike Pence warns North Korea of 'an overwhelming and effective American response' that will 'defeat any attack' as he addresses 2,500 cheering sailors aboard the USS Ronald Reagan in Tokyo Bay
- Pence made the appearance on board the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier on Tuesday while in Japan
- He told the US and Japanese sailors at the US Yokosuka naval base in Tokyo Bay that the US wanted peace
- But he warned that the country would be 'ready' to retaliate if North Korea attempted any kind of attack
- At the same time defense secretary Jim Mattis, who is in the Middle East, said Kim Jong-un was 'reckless'
- The aggressive stance is undermined by a carrier still off Australia's coast, 11 days after it was to head to Korea
- The USS Carl Vinson will head out within 24 hours, Pentagon officials said - it was supposed to set off April 8
- Russia and China have both called on the US to come to a peaceful accord with North Korea
Vice President Mike Pence warned North Korea not to test the resolve of the US military on Wednesday, promising it would give an 'overwhelming and effective' response to any use of conventional or nuclear weapons.
Pence, who was visiting the US Yokosuka naval base in Tokyo Bay, announced that President Donald Trump's administration would continue to 'work diligently' with allies like Japan, China and other global powers to apply economic and diplomatic pressure on Pyongyang.
He also said the President Donald Trump was going to overhaul and simplify the US tax code which 'will benefit every business represented here today'.
In an address to the US Chamber of Commerce in Japan, Pence claimed the 'era of over-regulation was over.'
But, he told the 2,500 sailors aboard the USS Ronald Reagan in a Japanese US naval base: 'As all of you know, readiness is the key.
'The United States of America will always seek peace - but under President Trump, the shield stands guard and the sword stands ready.'
Vigilance: Vice President Mike Pence told 2,500 US and Japanese sailors on Wednesday that in the face of North Korean provocation, 'the shield stands guard and the sword stands ready'
Pence was speaking to both US servicemen and Japanese Self-Defense Forces personnel on the flight deck of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, docked at the US Navy's Yokosuka base in Yokosuka, south of Tokyo
Thumbs up: Pence took selfies with sailors and gave a thumbs-up to the crowd, but his message was more serious, in the wake of North Korea's latest attempt to launch a missile
Crowds: The deck of the nuclear-powered cruiser was packed out by thousands of sailors who cheered Pence's promise to present a strong force towards North Korean aggression
Peace: Pence (pictured with Japanese deputy prime minister and finance minister Taro Aso) said that the US and its allies - including Japan and China - would put pressure on Pyongyang for a peaceful resolution to the recent tensions
'Those who would challenge our resolve or readiness should know: We will defeat any attack and meet any use of conventional or nuclear weapons with an overwhelming and effective American response,' Pence said.
He also said the US would protect freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, the sea lanes vital to global shipping where China has been staking claim to disputed territory.
The US Pacific Command confirmed the USS Carl Vinson strike group will be heading to the Korean region in response to the growing instability on the Korean peninsula.
A spokesman said the carrier strike group was being deployed to the western Pacific 'as a prudent measure'.
From two continents, Pence and defense secretary Jim Mattis - who is in the Middle East - warned that North Korea's latest failed missile launch was a reckless act of provocation and assured allies in Asia that the US was ready to work to achieve a peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Mattis denounced North Korea's attempted missile launch as he began a Middle East tour, telling reporters traveling with him to Saudi Arabia: 'the leader of North Korea again recklessly tried to provoke something by launching a missile.'
The term 'reckless' is one the North Koreans have used to describe ongoing large-scale US and South Korean military exercises, which the North calls a dress rehearsal for an invasion.
China conducts live-fire exercise on its new destroyer near North Korea as Pyongyang vows weekly missile tests amid escalating tensions
- The Chinese navy has tested its new guided-missile destroyer, Xining
- The drill was conducted on the Yellow Sea between China and Korean Peninsula
- The guided-missile destroyer is integrated with 'many new types of weaponry'
- North Korea yesterday threatened to launch weekly missile tests amid tensions
The Chinese navy has tested its new guided-missile destroyer, Xining, in a first-ever live-fire exercise.
The full-on drill was carried out on the Yellow Sea, which is situated between China and the Korean Peninsula.
Footage of the exercise was broadcast yesterday on the China Central Television Station (CCTV) as Beijing urged North Korea to give up its nuclear ambitions amid growing military tensions.
North Korea threatened to launch weekly missile tests yesterday after US Vice President Mike Pence warned that the 'era of patience' with Kim Jong-un is over.
China has conducted a live-fire exercise on its new guided-missile destroyer Xining
The drill was held on Yellow Sea, which is situated between China and the Korean Peninsula
According to CCTV, a series of exercises were held on the Yellow Sea to test Xining's weapon performance during 'complex weather conditions' and through 'complicated electromagnetic environment'.
Footage of the drill has also been shared by state-run People's Daily on its Twitter account.
Xining is a Type 052D-class guided-missile destroyer. It was commissioned to service the North Sea Fleet of the PLA Navy in January.
During the exercise, the destroyer's main artillery was tasked to shoot down enemy targets which were quickly approaching the vessel on waters and in air. Its torpedo and sonar system were also put to test during the intensive mock battle.
The exercise is said to have lasted for several days.
Xiang Zhihong, a supervising officer from the North Sea Fleet, told CCTV: 'This live-fire exercise not only provided officers and sailors with an opportunity to fire the artillery, but also tested and regulated their firing techniques and help them gather battling experience.'
XINING: CHINA'S NEW DESTROYER
Xining (pictured) is named and commissioned in January to service the PLA Navy
Xining is China's homegrown guided-missile destroyer, which was named and commissioned on January 22.
The vessel is integrated with 'many new types of weaponry', including main artillery on the deck, anti-aircraft and anti-missile close-in weapon system, torpedo and missile.
It has high informatisation level, advanced stealth capability and electro-magnetic compatibility.
The destroyer is mainly responsible for formation command, regional air defense, anti-submarine warfare and other missions.
The destroyer was tasked to shoot down enemy targets approaching on waters and in air
A supervising officer said the drill had provided soldiers with an opportunity to fire the artillery
The exercise was carried out by the PLA Navy on the Yellow Sea near the Korean Peninsula
CCTV's footage of Xining's live-fire drilled appeared just days after the station flaunted China's arsenal of missiles during a military programme.
Both reports appeared at a sensitive time as military tensions escalated in North Korea over the nation's nuclear projects.
Tension has risen as U.S. President Donald Trump takes a hard rhetorical line with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who has rebuffed admonitions from China and pursued nuclear and missile programmes that Washington sees as a direct threat.
The mock battle was conducted during 'complex weather conditions', reported CCTV News
The footage was released just days after the station flaunted China's arsenal of missiles
On Sunday, North Korea attempted to fire a missile - but it was an embarrassing failure when the weapon blew up four or five seconds after being launched.
The South Korean defence ministry said it had detected a failed launch from Sinpo - where North Korea's biggest submarine base is located.
It was thought to be one of the country's new 'game-changer' intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) which was revealed to the world just hours before on Saturday.
North Korea unveiled the new weapons on Saturday during a display of the country's military might in the country's capital Pyongyang as Kim Jong-un warned of an 'annihilating strike' if the US attacked.
North Korea has threatened to launch weekly missile tests after US Vice President Mike Pence warned that the 'era of patience' with Kim Jong-un is over.
Vice Foreign Minister Han Song-Ryol yesterday ramped up the tension between the two nations by saying: 'We'll be conducting more missile tests on a weekly, monthly and yearly basis.'
He also said that an 'all out war' was a possibility if the US responded by taking military action against Pyongyang.
Missiles are paraded across Kim Il Sung Square during a military parade on Saturday
Defying international pressure, the North on Sunday tried to test-fire another missile in an attempt that failed, but which fuelled fears that it may be preparing for its sixth atomic weapons test. On Saturday, Pyongyang showed off its military strength during a huge parade
WHERE DOES CHINA STAND?
North Korea has not responded this month to requests from senior Chinese diplomats, including the country's foreign minister, to meet North Korean counterparts, amid rising tension with the United States, Bloomberg reported yesterday.
Citing unidentified sources, the report said China's special envoy for the North Korea nuclear issue, Wu Dawei, was the other official whose requests for meetings went unanswered.
China's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report.
Last week, the ministry twice said it had no information to provide on whether Wu would be going to North Korea.
US Vice President Mike Pence on Monday warned Kim Jong-un (centre) not to test President Donald Trump's resolve, declaring that 'all options are on the table' for curbing its missile and nuclear weapons programmes
While asked about North Korea's failed missile test, China's foreign ministry spokesman, Lu Kang, said during a regular press conference yesterday that 'all relevant parties should avoid taking provocative actions that further fuel tensions.
Lu also said that all parties should 'make efforts to ease the tense situation on the Korean Peninsula'.
He encouraged all parties to 'get back to the negotiating table and properly resolve the Peninsula issue through peaceful means'.
China has also denied any political motive in the cancellation of flights by its flag carrier to North Korea, as pressure mounts on Beijing to help curb Pyongyang's weapons programmes.
State broadcaster CCTV reported last Friday that Air China had suspended its Beijing-Pyongyang route, leading to speculation the move was intended to pressure the North.
Air China has suspended its Beijing-Pyongyang route, according to CCTV News
But foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang distanced his government from the decision and said it was purely 'market-based'.
'It's natural for Air China or other airlines to make such decisions,' Lu told a regular press briefing. 'There shouldn't be overinterpretation of this issue.'
Beijing is Pyongyang's only major ally and biggest trade partner. It is being urged by the Trump administration to do more to rein in the North's missile and nuclear weapons programmes.
In February, China announced it was halting all imports of coal from North Korea - a crucial earner for Pyongyang - for the rest of the year.
The USS Carl Vinson, left, pictured with the Arleigh-Burke missile cruiser USS Michael Murphy and the USS Lake Champlain are set to be deployed to the Korean peninsula in response to Kim Jong-un's continued threats of weapons tests
Mattis did not identify the type of missile used but said it was not of intercontinental range, meaning it could not reach US territory. He did not comment on what might have caused the missile to fail.
Another official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss an intelligence matter, said the missile was a Scud variant that the US calls a KN-17.
Mattis credited China with trying to help get the North Korea situation 'under control' with the goal of denuclearizing the peninsula.
Pence's speech on the aircraft carrier followed meetings Tuesday in Tokyo with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, where he noted that 'all options are on the table.'
Abe said that it was a 'matter of paramount importance for us to seek diplomatic efforts as well peaceable settlements of the issue.'
'But at the same time,' the prime minister said, 'dialogue for the sake of dialogue is valueless and it is necessary for us to exercise pressure on North Korea so that it comes forward and engages in this serious dialogue.'
'Reckless': As Pence made his appearance before the forces, defense secretary Jim Mattis called the missile launch 'reckless' behavior on the part of Kim Jong-un
Meetings: Prior to the visit, Pence had been in meetings with Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, where he noted that 'all options are on the table'
Posing: Pence also posing for selfies with the crew after his speech. His rhetoric was undermined slightly by the fact that the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier, promised to the Korean theater by Trump, was still languishing near Australia
Pressure: Shinzo emphasized diplomacy, but said that 'dialogue for the sake of dialogue is valueless' and that pressure would have to be put on North Korea to come to the table. Pictured: Pence visiting a Buddhist Temple in Tokyo on Tuesday
Dialogue: Also on Tuesday, Pence spoke to Aso (present, but not seen in picture) during the Japan-US Economic Dialogue at the prime minister's office in Tokyo
Trump and Pence, who stopped at the Demilitarized Zone dividing North and South Korea on Monday, have signaled this week a forceful US stance on North Korea's recent actions. But it remains unclear what might come next.
Behind the heated rhetoric, Trump's strategy in the region looks somewhat similar to predecessor Barack Obama's - albeit with the added unpredictability of a new president who has shown he's willing to use force.
Pence told reporters Monday that Trump was hopeful China would use its 'extraordinary levers' to pressure the North to abandon its weapons program.
But the vice president expressed impatience with the unwillingness of North Korea to move toward ridding itself of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.
The talk of strength was undermined slightly by the announcement by Pentagon officials on Wednesday that the USS Carl Vinison, said to have headed to the Korean Peninsula on April 8, was still languishing in the ocean near Australia.
Mattis had claimed on April 11 that the aircraft carrier's strike fleet was on its way to North Korea as a 'prudent measure' to deter further escalation.
But Pentagon officials told CNN on Tuesday that the ships would finally set sail within 24 hours, and the strike group wouldn't be in the region before next week at the earliest.
Meanwhile, other countries have reacted to the US's forceful stance in the Korean sea.
In Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters he hopes 'there will be no unilateral actions like those we saw recently in Syria and that the US will follow the line that President Trump repeatedly voiced during the election campaign.'
China made a plea for a return to negotiations. Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said tensions need to be eased on the Korean Peninsula to bring the escalating dispute to a peaceful resolution.
Lu said Beijing wants to resume the multi-party negotiations that ended in stalemate in 2009 and suggested that US plans to deploy a missile defense system in South Korea were damaging its relations with China.
Force: Trump's strategy in the region looks much the same as Barack Obama's measured approach - but with the added unpredictability of a new president who has shown he's willing to use force
Concerned: Pence's visit coincided with Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov saying he hoped 'there will be no unilateral actions like those we saw recently in Syria'
Pleas: China made a plea for a return to negotiations. Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said tensions need to be eased on the Korean Peninsula to bring the escalating dispute to a peaceful resolution. Pence struck a more forceful presence
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