An unusually blunt Secretary of State John Kerry said Thursday that China's diplomatic strategy to defuse the North Korean nuclear strategy simply hasn't worked.

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 post-Cold War geopolitical balance in Northeast Asia has been askew for the last two years. While most students of foreign policy would attribute this imbal

America’s long-standing affront with North Korea needs fresh approaches, especially considering its increasingly disruptive international actions. Ted Carpenter proposes that instead of trying to increase unilateral sanctions on Pyongyang, Washington should make a concerted effort to reduce tensions with Kim Jong-un’s regime by creating a united front with China and Russia.

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on cooperation at this critical moment with the world’s other largest economy, the United States, or on an absurd and outdated allegiance to the bizarre and historically obsolete feudal regime of the Kim family in Pyongyang.

Following a recent visit to China, Doug Bandow recounts a conversation with a colleague about instability in North Korea and how it affects U.S.-China relations.