China Leaves No Doubt On North Korea

In case anyone was wondering, China controls North Korea's actions, including the development of nuclear weapons and rockets to get them to the U.S.  We got to see this play out when North Korea was dragging its feet over doing much more than superficial things like exchange visits and sending a few remains back to the U.S.  Then, the North decided to back off any further promised things that take more steps towards the real goal - de-nuclearization  a word most people forgot soon after the first meeting between the US and the North. 

Their reluctance closely followed the tariffs put on Chinese goods.  The more tariffs, the less cooperation.  Yes, we see the connection here.  The Chinese don't do things unless they get a return for their actions, even when the continued progress by the North is not in their best interests.   This one is not. 

US warships looked at ways to stop the buildup in other ways, and the Chinese did not like that very much. Only the new hawks in the US White House understood the connection and knew the Chinese were not going to listen to anything that did not result in a lessening of US presence in the area.  Having a "rouge" like North Korea doing their bidding allowed China to say "that rascal does all kinds of things we can't control" when everyone in diplomatic circles knew better.  North Korea only exists because China allows it.  It is in their interests to allow a bellicose neighbor to threaten to blow up a US city, even knowing it was an incredible threat.  They didn't have a rocket that could reach the US, and a weapon that would fit on it. Retaliation for such an act would be swift and severe.  It was not a credible thing to threaten until the North had a weapon and a missile that would take it to the US. 

It was easy for the Chinese to get the desired delay in US buildups in forces to get North Korea to agree to "talks", and back off of them when the US put more tariffs on their goods.  This did not involve North Korea - no tariffs fell on them, though sanctions, which neither Russia nor China follow, pretend to. 

Let's finally recognize that China controls the actions of North Korea and could change their behavior anytime they want to.  As such, they are responsible for what the North does.  Retaliation has to fall on the father and the son.