[Rockstar]

Originally Posted by sober

China is up to something .

Ya think?

The greatest victory is that which requires no battle. - Sun Tzu

http://www.atimes.com/article/what-c...m-north-korea/

Beijing's desire for stability has played a bigger role than recognized in Kim Jong-un's volte-face decision to negotiate his nuclear position By Bertil Lintner May 7, 2018 3:17 PM (UTC+8)


... Stronger economic links between the South and North would serve China’s strategic interest of stability on the peninsula. At the same time, China wants to maintain and expand its influence over the North Korean regime, which recent events demonstrate that it still has. A détente between the North and South would also give China a chance to drive a wedge between Washington and Seoul.

South Korea has stated that it wants US troops to stay, but if there is a peace treaty there would no longer be any excuse to maintain them or the THAAD deployment to protect against North Korean missiles. Maintaining THAAD after a peace deal would give Beijing ammunition to call America’s bluff and claim that THAAD was part of an attempt to encircle China. THAAD is a contentious issue in South Korea. When Moon came to power he put the deployment of four additional THAAD launchers on hold. He moved ahead with their deployment only after North Korea’s July 2017 test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching mainland America.

In the long run, the broader question of why the US would have to maintain troops in South Korea would inevitably be an issue if a peace treaty was signed between the two Koreas. And if a peace treaty is not forged, somebody — most likely the US — would be blamed for intransigence. Seen from that perspective, China and North Korea may emerge as bigger winners than the US if the upcoming talks achieve less than many now anticipate and hope.