An interesting take on the issue:
"China May Act Decisively on North Korea"The current discussion over what to do about North Korea’s underground nuclear test and expected follow-up detonation should be expanded to place Kim Jong Il’s Democratic People’s Republic of Korea into the context of the region and of history. Whether or not America, Japan and South Korea ought to embargo or blockade North Korea for its nuclear weapons program pales in significance relative to what China believes its interests in the region happen to be.
China will determine North Korea’s fate—and it may act sooner and in a more forceful fashion than anyone outside Beijing would even remotely consider as being possible today.
While the former Soviet Union ultimately acquiesced to the reunification of Germany, China may force the reunification of Korea because it is in its best interests to do so. There are five compelling reasons for China to act decisively on the Korean question.
(Cont...)
