Rumors of War

Beijing: Military drills near North Korea border not targeting regime - UPI.com
UPI reports: "China's defense ministry ruled out a military option in dealing with the "North Korea problem" on Thursday, following Pyongyang's launch of what it claimed to be an intercontinental ballistic missile. [...] 'The exercises are being conducted according to an annual plan,' Wu said. 'The exercises are not aimed at a particular country or party.' [...] Song Tao, a recent Chinese envoy to Pyongyang, was turned down for a meeting with leader Kim Jong Un, a North Korean move that may have not been well received in China."

Comment: This reporter has a gift for understatement. Let's consider for a moment the new national spirit in China. After decades of patient building programs in both the military and economic spheres China is now ready to enter a self-described new era of national pride and patriotism. They have an ambitious young leader who just consolidated power at the latest party congress and he is selling a narrative of national assertiveness, prestige and great power status. The mere idea that their client state is snubbing their representative must be infuriating. I scoffed at the notion that China had an interest in resolving the North Korean nuclear crisis but now I'm no longer sure. It could well be that that fundamentals have not changed - China still sees North Korea as a strategic buffer - but the "optics" have definitely changed. China has no national interest in maintaining a client state that does not know its place. While I don't believe China will ever support Korean unification, I now see a way forward for China to act against Kim and install a more compliant puppet regime. Let's continue to watch these developments.