George Koo describes how a treaty between the U.S. and North Korea was within grasp until George W. Bush’s administration halted the proceedings. Since then, dealing with Pyongyang has become a blame game between the U.S. and China.

Washington should propose a “grand bargain” to Pyongyang by formally ending the state of war on the Korean Peninsula, lifting of all except narrowly defined military sanctions against the North, and U.S. diplomatic recognition of the North Korean regime. In exchange, Pyongyang would agree to place its nuclear program under international safeguards and extend diplomatic recognition to South Korea.

Many U.S. policymakers see China as the answer to North Korean proliferation, but the People’s Republic of China has not yet proved willing to abandon its sole ally. China’s interest is almost purely negative, avoiding what the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea could become.

Given the rising hostility toward China in some American political circles, and the growing calls for a confrontational policy, the modest achievements made in the realms of cyber, the South China Sea, and North Korea are commendable.

In Chinese academic and policy circles, emotional attachment to North Korea is steadily draining away, which creates an opportunity for Washington to persuade the PRC to change its policy toward the nation.

Amidst Chinese and U.S. opposition, North Korea has amplified its pressure on South Korea and allies through its weapons development. However, China has opposed U.S. deployment of a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) in South Korea, which could halt progress.

The U.S. has long sought China’s support in containing North Korea, but China accuses the U.S. for contributing to the sense of insecurity through its military exercises in the region. Doug Bandow argues that Washington and its allies should consider an alternative approach and together develop a comprehensive proposal for a grand bargain.

The United States and China have differing strategies in dealing with Iranian and North Korean nuclear policy. Zhao Weibin highlights the Sino-U.S. diplomatic divergence in economic sanctions, disarmament processes, and ideology of national sovereignty, stressing that common interest in resolving this issue should spur a cooperative action plan.

China’s leaders need to look hard at the “Chinese Dream” they are trying to realize for their country and decide if that dream rests more on cooperation at this critical moment with the world’s other largest economy, the United States, or on an absurd and outdated allegiance to the bizarre and historically obsolete feudal regime of the Kim family in Pyongyang.