I respectfully disagree. I don't think they want an unstable crackpot like Kim Jong Il on their back porch with nukes any more than Japan and So. Korea. After all, the No Dongs can only reach Alaska, but they can hit anywhere in China. There's no benefit to them from NK having nukes at all.
Gee thanks.
kelly in alaska
I agree with you about this point, but China's plans are much more complicated than that. They play the world like a three dimensional chess board.
They have long range concerns about refugees and yes, military actions, but their plans regarding the U.S. are also in the mix. They do not want us destroyed financially, because of trade concerns and the like. These same concerns put them at odds with us over Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and the related Stans.
They rally want us off balance, so that their perceived fears that we will somehow gain control and strengthen relations in their own back yard. They also connect all of this to the Taiwan issue.
They definitely want us pulling and pushing in multiple directions, so that our power is diluted and little progress can be made on any front. They could have complete control of N. Korea, any time they want to move. As long as N. Korea's diplomatic bellicosity continues toward the U.S., they view this as a plus for them and will use it as a device to keep us occupied.
This makes them feel safe.
We could say that China is rapidly losing confidence in N. Korean regime. China may have trusted N. Korea as its proxy until recently. But N. Korea did too much freelancing lately, including getting too close to Russia, and trying to pull off new special economic zone next to the Chinese border without clearing it up with China first, with Yang Bin as its head who was imbroiled in large corruption scandal and tried to take shelter in N. Korea.
Although outrageous behaviors of N. Korea during the past few weeks can be useful for overstretching America, militarily draining its resources and hampering American geopolitcal objectives, the problem is that China has little control on N. Korean actions, which could give them serious anxiety. Because things can go as much for China as against China.