China enabling North Korean nuclear ambitions

North Korea tests a three-stage rocket in December 2012. The launch drew international condemnation because it is widely viewed as an attempt to develop intercontinental ballistic missiles tipped with nuclear warheads. /Image via AP


Only China can peacefully compel the North Koreans to drop their quest for a nuclear weapons arsenal but that's unlikely to happen.

From the Chinese government's perspective, maintaining the status quo is clearly in its interest compared to the alternatives:
- With the Obama administration seeking to bolster the U.S. military, diplomatic and economic presence in Asia, China probably won't do anything significant to undercut its North Korean ally.
- Any effort to force North Korea to scuttle its nuclear weapons program bears a high risk of armed conflict, which would surely be frowned upon in Beijing. No country wants to see a war break out on its doorstep, particularly a conflict in which other nations are calling the shots.
- Tightening of U.N. sanctions against North Korea could destabilize Kim Jong-un's regime, and Beijing has long feared the consequences of a North Korean government collapse, including a flood of refugees pouring over the Yalu River into China.

If China won't stop North Korea from becoming a fully fledged member of the Nuclear Club, who will?