China bets U.S. won’t order North Korea strike

Beijing condemns latest ICBM testing while providing lifeline to Kim Jong Un

BEIJING— China is betting that U.S. President Donald Trump won’t follow through on his threats of a military strike against North Korea as Beijing continues to provide a lifeline to Kim Jong Un’s regime.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson singled out China and Russia as “economic enablers” of North Korea after Kim test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile Friday. While Tillerson said the U.S. wants a peaceful resolution to the situation, the top American general called his South Korean counterpart after the launch to discuss a possible military response.

China Saturday condemned the latest test while calling for restraint from all parties, a muted reaction to Pyongyang’s progress on an ICBM capable of hitting the U.S. mainland.

Despite Kim’s provocations, analysts said Beijing still sees the collapse of his regime as a more immediate strategic threat, and doubts Trump would pull the trigger given the risk of a war with North Korea that could kill millions.

U.S.-China relations soured after an initial honeymoon between Trump and President Xi Jinping.

The U.S. last month sanctioned a regional Chinese bank, a shipping company and two Chinese citizens because of dealings with North Korea, which could be a precursor to more economic and financial pressure on Beijing to rein in its errant neighbour.

China has repeatedly called for both sides to step back, proposing the U.S. halt military exercises in the region and North Korea freeze its missile and nuclear tests.

The U.S. has dismissed that proposal, saying North Korea must first be willing to discuss stopping its nuclear program, as well as rolling it back.

China still accounts for about 90 per cent of North Korea’s trade. North Korea warned China of “grave consequences” earlier this year after it banned coal imports, while Beijing ’s Communist Party media stepped up criticism of Kim’s regime.

North Korea’s decision to launch the ICBM Friday from Jagang, a province on the border with China, could further raise tension between the countries.

Still, China’s biggest fears remain a collapse of Kim’s regime that prompts a protracted refugee crisis and an increased U.S. military presence on its border.

Meanwhile, China’s dispute with South Korea over a missile shield risks flaring again.

Seoul has partially installed a U.S. system known as THAAD despite Chinese protests.

It stopped the installation, but since the ICBM test President Moon Jae-in has called for talks with the U.S. on temporarily deploying more launchers.

China said Saturday that THAAD would disrupt the region’s strategic balance.