North Korea nuclear bluster plays into China’s long-term regional strategy

North Korea is ignoring United Nations sanctions, building up its nuclear potential, abrogating all agreements with South Korea and openly threatening the United States. One view is that its neighbour, China, is increasingly at odds with North Korea but this report argues that the current Korean crisis fits perfectly into China’s longer-term strategy in the East and South China Seas and how it wants to deal with the United States.

GLOBAL tensions are rising in line with the rhetoric and threats emerging from North Korea. These could engulf world powers from both the East and the West.

North Korea’s dictator, Kim Jong-un, is defying the United Nations and openly threatening...