<p>This Saturday (April 15th) is a national holiday in North Korea. Known as the &ldquo;Day of the Sun,&rdquo; it marks the birthday of the nation&rsquo;s first leader.</p>
<p>This year, Kim Jong-un plans to celebrate by testing another weapon &ndash; possibly a nuclear device. If so, it would be the nation&rsquo;s sixth nuclear test. ;</p>
<p>&ldquo;The celebration may put North Korea on a military collision course with the United States,&rdquo; reports <em>Newsmax. ;</em>Satellite imagery shows increased activity at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in North Korea. ;</p>
<p>&ldquo;North Korea believes the only way to deter the US from attacking them and maintaining the power of the Kim regime is by the possession of nuclear weapons,&rdquo; said 38 North analyst Joseph Bermudez.</p>
<p>Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Thursday that he believes North Korea could have the technology to launch a missile tipped with sarin &ndash; the deadly nerve gas President Assad used on his own people last week. ;</p>
<p>As I wrote Monday, the US Navy has dispatched an armada to the Western Pacific to &ldquo;maintain readiness&rdquo; following North Korea&rsquo;s most recent missile test (which failed) and in anticipation of an April 15th launch.</p>
<p>North Korea considers the naval move an act of aggression and says it will &ldquo;hold the US wholly accountable for the catastrophic consequences&rdquo; if there is further military action after the Navy strike group arrives near the peninsula.</p>
<p>China has cautioned the US against unilateral action, but Trump has vowed to take care of the North Korea &ldquo;problem&rdquo; with or without China&rsquo;s help. According to Presdient Xi Jinping, China hopes to find a peaceful way to denuclearize the peninsula and ;will not participate in any efforts that could lead to the collapse of Kim&rsquo;s regime. ;</p>
<p>As we wrote Thursday, China is on board with the UNSC&rsquo;s resolution to restrict coal imports. This week, President Xi ordered North Korean cargo ships carrying coal to return home. This order follows Trump&rsquo;s meeting with President Xi on April 7th (when he simultaneously ordered the strike on Syria).</p>
<p>The meeting was beneficial for both sides, and Trump has hinted that China can expect better trade deals in exchange for its assistance in corralling North Korea. ;</p>
<p>Xi&rsquo;s decision to cut imports from North Korea also means China will be buying more coal from the US &ndash; a boon to the industry Trump has promised to revive. ;</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the Trump Administration is preparing new economic sanctions for North Korea. As reported by <em>The Hill</em>, these new rules may include an oil embargo, a ban on Air Koryo (the country&rsquo;s airline), and intercepting cargo ships headed to the peninsula. ;</p>
<p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a whole host of things that are possible, all the way up to what&rsquo;s essentially a trade quarantine on North Korea,&rdquo; said one official.</p>