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The President's Daily Brief
April 29th, 2025: Factories Shutting Down In China As Tariff War Bites & North Korea’s Dirty Secret Confirmed
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Mike Baker
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North Korean soldiers are on the battlefield alongside Russian troops. I know. Shocking with President Putin offering his appreciation for their efforts. Plus inside the Trump administration's discreet efforts to restart talks with North Korea, including the possibility of another face to face meeting with Kim Jong Un. And in today's Back of the Brief, the Pentagon is releasing new details about the extent of the US military's air campaign in Yemen, hammering more than 800 targets in just six weeks. But first, today's PDB Spotlight. We'll begin with the ongoing fallout from the US China trade war which appears to be rapidly destabilizing the Communist regime's export dependent economy. As you likely know by now, the Chinese Communist Party, the CCP and Washington are locked in a bitter trade dispute triggered by President Trump's imposition of a 145% tariff on most of China's exports. China retaliated by placing a 125% tax on US goods. The impact on China has been swift and significant. Chinese warehouses are reportedly filled with unsent goods and operations at two of China's most critical ports for trade have slowed to a crawl. Now Chinese manufacturers are beginning to pause production entirely and shut down factories as they scramble to find new buyers for their goods. That's according to a report from cnbc. Currently the most severely impacted factories are those that are making toys, sporting goods and low cost dollar store type goods. Though every sector is beginning to feel the crunch. An analyst with the Shanghai based consulting firm Tidal Wave Solutions told CNBC quote, I know several factories that have told half of their employees to go home for a few weeks and stopped most of their production. While not large scale yet, it is happening in the key export hubs of Yiwu and Dongguan and there is concern that it will grow. He added. Quote, there's hope that tariffs will be lowered so orders can resume, but in the meantime, companies are furloughing employees and idling some production, end quote. Financial analysts warn that for small businesses in China with only several million dollars in resources, the massive tariffs are already unbearable and will likely force them to shutter permanently. To mitigate their losses, some manufacturers are turning to new markets to try and fill their orders, though they said it will take time to build those up. Major Chinese tech companies on orders from the CCP are also exploring ways to help exporters redirect their goods to the domestic market. One company, Baidu, is helping at least several hundred Chinese businesses launch their own domestic e commerce channels to fill the void left by American consumers. Another e Commerce Company, JD.com has pledged to buy nearly $30 billion worth of Chinese goods intended for export, with the goal of reselling them within China. But those efforts offer only limited relief, as the nearly $30 billion pledged amount accounts for only 5% of the more than $520 billion worth of goods exported by China to the US last year. In an interesting development, some Chinese firms are reportedly racing to open U.S. factories to bypass the tariffs altogether. One small business owner operating in eastern China said he's been scrambling since early April to arrange shipping and obtain US Work visas so that he can open a facility in Dallas, Texas. He told the South China Morning Post, quote, The U.S. accounts for nearly 95% of our orders. It's not a market we can afford to lose now. Chinese manufacturers covering everything from petrochemicals to printed mugs have reportedly been doing the same in recent weeks in an increasingly desperate attempt to keep their businesses afloat. But the pain may also soon set in for US Businesses and consumers. The International Monetary Fund recently slashed growth forecasts for the U.S. china and most other countries. Cargo volumes into the U.S. have fallen dramatically, with Bloomberg analysts estimating a roughly 60% decline. Most American businesses will need to restock by mid May, and major retailers like Target and Walmart have warned customers already to expect higher prices and empty shelves. Analysts predict major supply shortages that could trigger layoffs across retail sectors as well as trucking and logistics. But there may be some relief in sight. As we recently discussed, reports emerged last week that China has quietly granted some American imports exemptions from its 125% tariffs and is considering lifting other levies on items critical to certain Chinese industries. The exemptions reportedly cover aspects of the aviation, pharmaceutical, semiconductor and industrial chemicals sectors. Still, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessen said Monday that while those exemptions showed encouraging progress, it's up to China to take more meaningful steps to de escalate the trade war. Trump, meanwhile, relented somewhat from his hardline stance against China last week, saying he planned to be very nice to the communist regime and that he was confident the US And China would soon reach a, quote, fair deal. But on Monday, Chinese officials once again denied that any official talks were taking place and accused the US of using trade to bully the world. All right, coming up after the break, North Korean troops are officially fighting for Russia. Putin and Kim Jong Un officially acknowledged what the entire world already knew. And the Trump administration is reportedly quietly laying the groundwork for new talks with Kim Jong Un. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Well, the temps have warmed up. The cover's off the grill. 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In a report issued by state run kcna, North Korea's military claimed its soldiers helped Russian forces completely liberate the western Kursk border region, acting under a direct order from Kim Jong Un. The deployment, KCNA said was, was carried out under the terms of a mutual defense treaty signed by Kim and Russian President Putin in June of last year, pledging joint support in the event of, quote, aggression against either nation. The deployment of North Korean troops to Russia's front lines was, well, frankly, no secret, with South Korean and Western intelligence agencies long reporting that Pyongyang had dispatched thousands of soldiers to support Russia's war effort just last fall. But this does mark the first time that North Korea has officially fessed up to its involvement. Kim himself weighed in, according to kcna, calling the troops heroes and representatives of the honor of the motherland, framing the mission as a historic display of loyalty and sacrifice. The state run report went further, hailing the fighting in Kursk as proof of a alliance and brotherhood between the two nations and promising that the, quote, friendship proven by blood would continue to deepen. Certainly it's been proven by the blood of the North Korean soldiers that have reportedly been cannon fodder for counter offensives in the KSK region. Notably absent from the triumphant tone was any mention of what will happen to the North Korean soldiers afterward or whether they'll ever return home. US Officials reacting to the confirmation, said Byong Yang must now bear responsibility for for helping to prolong the war. Meanwhile, the human cost of North Korea's intervention has been, well, staggering, as we've been tracking here on the PDB. Western officials told the BBC that at least 1,000 North Korean troops out of roughly 11,000 deployed have been killed over the past three months. Military experts say North Korea dispatched units from what it calls its Storm Corps, its so called elite force, which frankly is elite in name only, operating under outdated Soviet era tactics and outfitted with obsolete gear. A former British army tank commander was blunt in his assessment earlier this year, describing them as, quote, barely trained troops led by Russian officers who they don't understand. In other words, as mentioned, cannon fodder. Still, numbers do matter. Ukraine's top military commander warned that the sheer size of the North Korean force, combined with aggressive Soviet style tactics aimed at overwhelming defenses, has created serious pressure on the front lines. Ukraine does continue to contest Russia's claim, though, of full control over the Kursk region. In Moscow, the Kremlin had its own official praise. In a formal statement on Monday, Putin expressed, quote, deep gratitude to North Korea for its assistance. Speaking through a state run news agency, Putin praised the deployment as an act of, quote, solidarity, justice and genuine camaraderie, personally thanking Comrade Kim Jong Un and lauding the leadership and people of North Korea for their contribution. The confirmation of North Korean boots on the ground from Pyongyang marks a milestone in the evolving relationship between Moscow and Pyongyang, one that has been reshaping the battlefield realities in Ukraine. Okay. Shifting to the U.S. the Trump administration has begun quietly evaluating options to restart dialogue with North Korea amid mounting concerns over the regime's accelerating nuclear advancements, according to a senior U.S. official and three sources familiar with the matter. While nothing is imminent, President Trump has made it clear that he's eager to reconnect with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un potentially face to face. Behind the scenes, his national security team is laying the groundwork for a possible diplomatic reboot. But for now, North Korea sits relatively low on Trump's immediate foreign policy agenda. Between the escalating tariff war with China, the conflict between Israel and Hamas, and ongoing nuclear negotiations with Iran, well, there's little bandwidth left for little rocketman. Still, Trump officials admit the regime's nuclear progress over the past four years under the Biden administration has made renewed engagement not just desirable, but urgent. Behind closed doors, administration officials have been huddling with think tank experts, current officials, and former diplomats working to map out various scenarios for a new Trump Kim meeting. The State Department has engaged with outside experts, with one major topic on the table being the identification of new North Korean interlocutors. Given that nearly every regime official who handled diplomacy with Washington during Trump's first term has since been purged or sent for re education, that sounds pleasant. In a sign of preliminary diplomatic activity, the Swedish ambassador to North Korea, who represents US Interests in Pyongyang, visited Washington last week for consultations, a source familiar with the visit said. The meeting centered on taking the temperature regarding possible RE engagement with North Korea. The senior US Official told Axios, quote, we are convening agencies to understand where the North Koreans are today. We're evaluating, diagnosing, and talking about potential avenues, end quote. Meanwhile, Trump's personal interest in Kim hasn't exactly cooled. A senior fellow at the American think tank Brookings Institute pointed to Trump's, quote, many positive statements about Kim over the past six months as a clear signal that the president remains keen to rekindle contact. And according to a former senior US Official, it wouldn't take much to jumpstart talks. A single letter from Kim, they said, could trigger rapid movement toward a new summit. But even if dialogue resumes, the playing field, well looks very different this time around. While previous negotiations aimed at full denuclearization, multiple sources say that Kim is now deeply entrenched and unlikely to even entertain giving up his nuclear arsenal. North Korea's nuclear status is now enshrined in its constitution and woven into the Kim family legacy. Now, if talks shift toward arms control or even de facto recognition of North Korea as a nuclear weapons state, the regime might be more willing to engage. But that shift would come at a steep price. Such an acknowledgment could trigger deep unease among regional US Allies like South Korea and Japan, who could be pushed closer toward developing their own nuclear deterrence. And this time, Trump's team knows that they're negotiating from a weaker hand. North Korea's capabilities have surged. China, once pivotal in applying pressure on Pyongyang and Trump's first administration, well, they've shown little interest in playing ball this time. And the deepening ties between Russia and North Korea have further realigned the playing field. The senior US Official admitted, we're in a much worse situation today, placing the blame squarely on the Biden administration for allowing North Korea's nuclear program to advance unchecked. While Trump appears open to reigniting diplomacy this time, any path forward will be steeper, riskier, and more uncertain than the history making summits of his first term. All right, coming up next in the back of the brief, the Pentagon lifts the curtain on its air war in Yemen. Over 800 targets struck from command centers to weapons stockpiles. We'll have those details next. Hey, Mike Baker here. Well, you've heard about tariffs, right? And the trade wars and you know that all that has thrown the global economy into chaos, potential widespread inflation tied to massive supply chain disruptions. Well, frankly, you know, it's weighing heavily on all of us. But I'm here to tell you there's a silver lining that I think most people have missed. And it's also a gold lining, frankly, because what I mean is President Trump specifically exempted gold and silver bullion from the sweeping tariffs. Now, while the new policies are triggering significant financial chaos, the administration preserved your ability to diversify into precious metals. So if you're concerned about your savings, I encourage you to have a free consultation with a birchgold precious metals specialist. The first step is simple. Just text PDB to 989-898 and receive your free no obligation information kit on gold. Learn how to hold gold and silver in a tax sheltered account. 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That's B A K e r@american-giant.com. that's 20% off when you use code baker@american-giant.Com in today's back of the Brief, the Pentagon is has issued their first official update on ongoing military operations against the Iranian backed Houthi militants of Yemen. So you ask, how are US Efforts to diminish the group's capabilities to disrupt global trade going so far? Well, I'm glad you asked. According to announcement issued by U.S. central Command, American airstrikes have hit more than 800 targets since the campaign dubbed Operation Rough Rider kicked off on March 15th. Officials said that over the past six weeks they've taken out multiple command and control facilities, air defense systems, advanced weapons manufacturing facilities, and advanced weapons storage locations. According to a report from the New York Times. The degraded weapon stockpiles include anti ship, ballistic and cruise missiles as well as drones, which have all proved critical to the Houthis relentless attacks on commercial shipping vessels in the Red Sea. Officials for Central Command, which oversees Middle east operations, also said that the military strikes have killed hundreds of Houthi fighters and numerous Houthi leaders, including key figures in charge of the terror group's missile and drone operations. The report did not disclose the names of any of the deceased Houthi leaders, however, or address reports about the number of civilian casualties. Officials added that Operation Roughrider would further disintegrate Houthi capabilities as long as they continue to impede freedom of navigation, end quote. As we've been tracking here on the PDB since Hamas launched its terror attacks on Israel back on 7 October 2023, the Houthis have carried out at least 145 attacks on commercial vessels and 174 attacks on US military ships in the Red Sea and Suez Canal. Their attacks have rattled global trade, driving up shipping costs and disrupting critical supply chains across the world. Some 70% of global trade traffic is now diverting around South Africa to avoid Houthi attacks near the Suez Canal. Officials with U.S. central Command said. We will continue to ratchet up the pressure until the objective is met, which remains the restoration of freedom of navigation and American deterrence in the region, end quote. While the Trump administration's campaign has impeded the Houthis ability to operate and appears to have slowed down the frequency of their attacks, the group has proved resilient, particularly thanks to Iran's ongoing support. On Monday, officials with the Houthis said they were undeterred by US Strikes and vowed to continue their attacks in Middle east waters. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily brief for Tuesday 29th April. If you have any questions or comments, please just reach out to me at PDB the first tv.com and of course to listen to the show ad free. Well, you can do that. Very simple. Just become a premium member of the President's Daily brief by visiting PDB premium.com I'm Mike Baker and I'll be back later today with the PDP afternoon Bulletin. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.