Thread by @BonicMichael

US accuses China of violating North Korea sanctions, undermining denuclearisation efforts:
scmp.com/news/asia/east…

2/Acknowledge US policy failure on Pyongyang and blame China. Brilliant. (NOT.) Is Washington declaring: "We failed. We need your help" - To China?! That's almost like hungry Esau asking Jacob for a bowl of lentil soup. Inept statement by Alex Wong. Xi now has the upper hand.

3/If Beijing now has DPRK's back, it might play for the nuclear freeze, or so-called "double freeze". If Kim Jong Un would declare that USFK and the Mutural Defense Treaty are fine with him, as long as USFK joint military exercises are terminated permanently, Beijing likely

4/prefers North Korea maintaining minimal nuclear deterrence, as a "shrimp among whales" needs to survive. This would counterbalance the regional defense force that USFK would continue as. Regional security becomes a 2-way street. US and ROK remain allies as do China and DPRK.

5/If Washington pushes for North Korea's complete denuclearization however (the 'definition' of 'insanity' - using the same failed strategy over and over hoping that 'this time' it'll work), China might say no dice, and the world will watch how the US responds. If you extrapolate

6/there are only 2 outcomes: DE-escalation leading to peace on the Korean Peninsula, or escalation leading to resuming a conflict no one wants to see happening. Only the US, led by war hawks & military industrial complex, withholds peace b/c war is more profitable. That must end.