This time, China will be on South Korea’s side. If Little Kim tries anything, he’s being reminded that an ugly surprise is waiting to pour across his lightly defended northern border. The last thing the Chinese want is millions of North Korean refugees streaming northward - they’ll take military action both to keep the refugees at home and to ease the pressure on their very large trading partner to the South. Too much money at stake for the Mandarins, and a Cold War relic like Kim has nothing of value to offer Beijing in return for their support.
I’m surprised that China hasn’t used the opportunity to strike a deal while the Quisling in Chief is still in office. China removes the lunatic NK regime in exchange for the U.S. abandoning Taiwan and removing its troops from SK. It would fit with China’s expansionist policy in the waters of east and Southeast Asia. With the U.S. gone from the region, China could bully its neighbours with impunity.