Actually here in SE Asia there is a lot more feeling about the increase in Chinese influence over the region. Think the reason the Chinese are worried about North Korea as it focuses Trump on the area and draws attention to their actions in the South China Sea. Last thing they want is the US Navy sailing around in what they see as their waters. They would much rather he kept away and they could keep up the land-grabbing in the Spratleys and Paracels, giving them control of a potential major hydrocarbon resource.
Having said that I can't see them ever agreeing to allow the US Navy to make a significant strike on North Korea and so anything the US might do will increase tension in the region.
And that's all from Sky News - back to Sky Sports where Breaking News is that Rafa is now odds-on favourite to be the next PL Manager to leave his job but ACS has covered his back with an Insurance Bet on Bilic being the first one fired.
This little dance in Korea has gone on for years now. I'm not overly concerned. There is a bigger strategic and economic picture to it all anyway. America would like to see a unified Korea, with a pro western government in place. We keep hearing that China probably have very little desire to see this short term with North Korea providing a valuable buffer from having US troops right on its doorstep. Its all kinda daft really, if they wanted to attack each they don't need to be particularly close to do so. It all seems a bit meaningless really.
China is probably more concerned that if it backed stronger sanctions (cut off oil for a start) and North Korea did fall apart overnight, then it would probably see a load of refugees pouring over its border. They don't need that financial challenge to add to their own. The Chinese are not very open about these things but I would imagine a unified Korea is probably appealing to them economically. Trade wise the replication of the buoyant South Korean economy across the whole area as opposed to the broken North Korean one it currently trades with is probably very appealing.
China is in a tricky situation. It along with Russia has provided North Korea with support and defended them. Essentially it has provided both with a handy little tool to stop the US making too many inroads into the region. Its further complicated by Russia and China, although aligned somewhat, both wanting to assert their own influence over the region and being in competition in this regard also.
The bigger picture is these global superpowers are playing tit for tat, using North Korea as the ball in their silly games of ping pong. So whilst the threat of North Korea having some sort of nuclear arsenal is of course concerning, it is being very much hyped up by the US and its allies. In turn that situation is then being hyped further by the other two superpowers. If there was any imminent danger I think all three would shut it down pretty quickly.
What doesn't help of course is having a number of fairly massive egos involved in this whole charade - Trump, Putin, Kim Jong Un. Perhaps Trump and Kim Jong Un will end up sitting down and Trump will simply accept North Korea having these weapons. At the end of the day, North Korea has no intention of stopping no matter what is threatened, while it seem unlikely China will cut them off and cause a collapse. Trump being a business man could easily surprise all and sundry by completely altering his approach.
