....” there will be a deal in advance, at least with China”....
Ok what sort of deal would you see? Because China is not going to forfeit N.Korea retaining it’s buffer zone. ..and Kims not going to disarm. So how does your way work out?
It’s much simpler than that: the US leaves. All but a token force. If there is no DPRK there’s no need for US forces in Korea, no need for THAAD, no need for any of it. A dream come true to China. China also loses the DPRK’s drug smuggling and weapons smuggling, the latter being a threat because they can end up with Uyghur militants.
Meanwhile, the US reallocates the freed-up resources toward improved naval power which can be assigned wherever they’re needed rather than being stuck in one location. A dream come true to the US, beyond that of getting rid of the DPRK threat.
Deals can be struck. And if there’s anyone to do it, it’s the man in the White House right now.
Theres no deal, do not trust China
Now they say China is going to drop hong kongs autonomy because of demonstrations against 1 china rule, we know they want to take over Taiwan & have built a military base near the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands that Japan also claims and administers…