The Real North Korea Game

It doesn’t matter who scores in the war of words between President Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un: What counts is action, and Team Trump is plainly far ahead on that front.

Washington announced one win last week: China is instructing its banks to halt new business with North Korea and to wind down all old loans, in accord with UN sanctions.

As Pyongyang’s major financial partner and supporter, China is key to resolving Kim’s nuclear threats. And any hint that Beijing is withdrawing support sends what Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross rightly called “a very powerful message.”

This was followed by Trump himself signing an executive order imposing harsh new US economic sanctions against the North, targeting not only its banks but other major industries and shipping.

Moreover, the president — who had just threatened Kim with total destruction — suddenly suggested he was open to direct negotiations that he’d previously ruled out.

Granted, US and UN sanctions aren’t magic: North Korea has withstood such restrictions for years. Even UN Ambassador Nikki Haley conceded that the real intent was to “cut the revenue, so they could do less of their reckless behavior.”

But Pyongyang has long counted on Beijing to counteract the effects of international sanctions — and is now being told that China is losing patience with Kim’s growing provocations.

On Saturday, Beijing announced that it’s limiting oil and gas exports to Pyongyang, and banning textile imports, the North’s main legal source of cash.

Back in 2003, China cut off North Korea’s oil deliveries for three days after a missile launch, blaming a “malfunction” — a move that led Kim’s father to quickly start negotiating.

All the verbal threats are a sideshow: The real game is the steady tightening of the screws.