Probably a red herring (pun intended). The Peoples Liberation Army helped facilitate the N. Korean nuclear program. Any time they want regime change in N. Korea all they need do is cut off food, oil, and electricity, and give the N. Korean generals the go ahead. Little Kim Jong Un would be toast.”

After NK has working nuclear weapons and a delivery system with holding food will not be an option.

Even China does not want to lose a million people plus a million solders if NK launches. Do you really think the NK government or military will tell their own brain washed people they were the ones to start the war?

I’d considered your second point, and as you rightfully point out there are some serious concerns about Chinese muscle-flexing. My consideration is that American power has been much reduced the last decade, and we can’t be everywhere at once policing everything. That’s what Democrats do. It may be that we should be seeking strategic partners at this point.

On the other hand, if North Korea demonstrates a consistent ability to hit the US, I’d support military action.

Skirt? Skirt? not in this debate, pant suits only……”

Good one!

This option also allows the Chinese to observe the power of the most recent developments in the US arsenal!

What will be the responses in the next presidential debate. Bet they try to skirt the issue!

Sure! Squeeze a little more from the US is always an option. One option. An option that does the least to abandon the “closer than lips and teeth” relationship that China and the DPRK have had, even including plausible deniability.

“…if China wants to be a strategic player they need to take care of their own back yard.”

Yes, but do *we* want them to be that, rather than appear to be that? Not if the next place they “help” with is when the next elected President in the Philippines swerves away from President Duterte’s current romance with the PRC, and the PLA decides they can and should prevent Duterte’s policies from being reversed. At the present moment, the wrangling over bits of rock and coral in the seas East of China is a good way to distract a Chinese population from the agency costs of the governmental and Party hierarchies. We don’t really want the PLAN, the PLAF, The PLA, the Military Affairs Comittee, and the Politburo to decide that this is a good general foreign policy, starting in the DPRK and expanding from there.

The PLA got a bloody nose when they invaded Vietnam in the late 1970s. I vote for keeping that as their most recent “strategic experience”.

What the hell?

China has spent enormous sums of American trade money building a military and they expect the US to do their dirty work? While a nuclear-capable North Korea is of concern to everyone, if China wants to be a strategic player they need to take care of their own back yard.