By allowing China to save face the situation is, at least for now defused and relations with the PRC are not fractured.
Yes, let us kick that can down the road again. Hell let us ship a billion dollars to NK so they can improve the accuracy of their missiles.
If China would have said that all Nuclear programs must stop, all existing Nuke be destroyed under international supervision, then yes, we can sit back and do nothing.
China is doing what communist have done forever. Three steps forward, one step back. That is they push and push until confronted and they concede small things to buy time. They have long range plans.
All previous administrations had done nothing but kick the can down the road and bribe the NK to be good little children. Well they took what we gave them and continued to build nukes. Why do you think they will do anything different now?
As for thinking China will help them, do you really think the US would not respond to an attack just because China might get involved? If China wants war, they will get one. If China wants peace they will take out NK nukes themselves.
In the end China needs to ask themselves do they want to take on the US?
“Yes, let us kick that can down the road again. Hell let us ship a billion dollars to NK so they can improve the accuracy of their missiles.”
Getting N. Korea to stop making random threats for aid is a huge win. What China just did does that.
This does not give N. Korea any aid, cash or technology. It does not make any concession to them.
If they can’t threaten to start a war then they can’t extort concessions anymore. This new Chinese policy does that.
If they can’t threaten other nations then the region is more peaceful.
Unlike the agreement that Mrs Clinton signed when he was president (Intentional slight) with N. Korea this new policy, which I am sure was hammered out behind the scenes between the US and PRC doesn’t give N. Korea any money.
This is a huge win for Trump. It is not a complete win but it is a big one.