China holds live-fire aircraft carrier drill, builds massive border force as North Korean missile test looms
US intelligence agencies have said for some time that they expect another North Korean missile test soon, as North Korea's July 4th missile test only demonstrated a limited capability.
Since then, CIA director Mike Pompeo has spoken candidly about the possibility that the US may look to take out Kim Jong Un, and China has pressed on with an increasingly assertive military posture towards North Korea.
Meanwhile, North Korean propaganda has shot back, saying the country would hit the US with a "powerful nuclear hammer" if Kim were threatened.
In the Yellow Sea west of the Korean peninsula, China recently held live-fire drills with its only aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, the South China Morning Post reported.
While experts told The Post the drills were linked to the 90th anniversary of the founding of China's People's Liberation Army, Ni Lexiong, a Shanghai-based military affairs commentator, acknowledged the drill would send "a very subtle message to North Korea."
Additionally, China has built a massive military presence along its border with North Korea complete with helicopter gunships, aerial drone surveillance, and large ground and artillery forces.
US intelligence services recently told ABC News that North Korea could test its Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile on Thursday, but bad weather may prevent such a launch.