On the surface this seems ominous:
Meeting in Beijing's Great Hall of the People, Xi told Moon that the goal of denuclearizing the Korean peninsula must be stuck to, and war and chaos cannot be allowed, Chinese state media said.
"The peninsula issue must, in the end, be resolved via dialogue and consultation," Xi was cited as saying.
What is China saying to America in private? Because I don't know what China means by "war."
Does "war" include or exclude a limited military action like a campaign against North Korea's nuclear facilities, delivery systems, and/or air defenses and command and control?
Does "war" include or exclude hitting long-range North Korean artillery systems that threaten Seoul?
Does "war" include or exclude South Korea carving out a no-launch zone north of the DMZ to protect Seoul?
In short, does China only want to signal that it will step in only if America seeks regime change in North Korea?
Because I find it hard to believe that China thinks it is in its interest to let North Korea go nuclear and prompt both regional missile defenses that affect China's nuclear forces and prompt Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, and possibly Taiwan to go nuclear in turn--and prompt the return of American nuclear weapons to South Korea.
Does "dialogue and consultation" just mean that America must keep China in the loop when planning and carrying out military operations to preclude stepping over China's red line, which we did in error in 1950 by approaching the Yalu River?
Because if this report is accurate, it doesn't sound like China wants to stop America or side with North Korea as much as it sounds like China wants to be ready to cope with military action against North Korea:
Wang Xiyu, a senior fellow at the China Institute of International Studies affiliated with China’s foreign ministry, said conditions on the peninsula were at their most perilous in half a century.
“No matter whether there is war or peace, regretfully, China has no control, dominance or even a voice on the issue,” he said.
China might already be preparing for the worst.
Last week, Jilin Daily, the official newspaper of the province bordering North Korea, published a full page of advice for residents on how to respond to a nuclear attack.
A document purportedly from telecom operator China Mobile about plans to set up five refugee camps in Jilin’s Changbai county also surfaced online last week.
Wang said the Jilin Daily article was a “signal to the country to be prepared for a coming war”.
Is this preparing the Chinese people to be ready for an American-led assault or to justify Chinese action against North Korea before America acts?
As an aside, Strategypage looks at North Korea's missile progress. In addition to their problem with the warhead for an ICBM, North Korea has yet to demonstrate that it can successfully guide a multi-stage missile needed to reach us.
The media really does a poor job of explaining the problem, leaving the impression that North Korea could nuke all of America right now if Trump writes a Tweet that offends them.
