It seemed to me perhaps the biggest break through with Bush’s treasury effort was — it put the heat on banks in China – thus the Chinese government – to apply pressure that really made Pyongyang squeal — pushing it closer to collapse than it had been pushed before.

Then, Bush did an about face.

We know the moves in this about face, over the last couple of years, threw egg in the face of Japan and must have caused significant medium term damage to trust with our most trustworthy Asian ally.

But, what damage did it do with China???

I can’t guess on that one well.

Who knows — maybe there was even some quid pro quo with Beijing on the economic sanctions — that they would put the squeeze on Pyongyang as the US Treasury wanted – but only if the measures were temporary — that they’d be lifted once NK agreed to sit down at the table again. Because, China has always shown it would resist moves that would lead to collapse and regime change. —— So, why did it decide to switch gears and work with Treasury? What pressure did the US use that worked this time? Or, was a deal like the one just mentioned cut?

If it wasn’t a deal — which would seem more likely —- meaning – if we did somehow twist China’s arm or convince it to risk regime collapse by going along with Treasury — did our sudden reversal of all that over the last two years piss China off? or confuse them?

— Did the reversal mean it will be even harder next time to get China to put work with the US to turn up the heat like that?