China has quietly accepted a nuclear North Korea

Xi Jinping has made a consequential strategic choice. Faced with Kim Jong Un’s growing partnership with Vladimir Putin, Xi is rebuilding Chinese political and economic support for North Korea and abandoning the pretense that Beijing is seriously pursuing its denuclearization.

The result will not be a more restrained Kim. It will be a more dangerous one.

Kim is now positioned to draw military assistance and treaty protection from Russia while continuing to receive the trade, money and political backing that only China can provide. As his nuclear arsenal and conventional forces improve, he will have stronger incentives to take risks against South Korea and the United States. Most alarmingly, should China initiate a conflict over Taiwan, Kim could see an opportunity to exploit America’s distraction.

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