Here’s a must-read lead from the NYT.
The thing is, as the article highlights, China recognizes that oil sanctions on North Korea will probably bring the regime down but China worries about South Korea overrunning the north and US allies at China’s border.
Meanwhile, in an equally powerful editorial in China’s influential, Global Times, there’s a very different argument, focused on US provocation of North Korea.
The NYT article highlights how the Trump team are peddling fast to minimize the impact of Trump’s damaging tweets which lacked forthought and considered judgement.
Clearly, there’s an expectation of another missile test from North Korea.
The only good news is that the US government is now testing dipomatic initiatives to the limit.
Perhaps the US can offer China a carot to agree to full sanctions on North Korea, including oil?
Thoughts?
Dr Alf's Blog 
Dr Alf may recall the last time oil imports were banned prior to World War II on Japan.
This was done by America, Holland and Britain to force the Japanese into war.
Japan was duly forced and it took two nuclear bombs one on Hiroshima, andthe second on Nagasaki to force them to surrender.
Prior to that the Japanese ran riot over Asia, humiliating the British in Singapore , murdering 500,000 people in the Chinese city of Nanking and occupying islands all over the Pacific which the Americans had to clear at great loss of life one by one.
North Korea has nuclear weapons and the 4th biggest army in the world, the Pentagon has war gamed defeating them many times but the result is a win with enormous casualties.
Putin also reads the PNAC website and he too fears the worst.
He is not wrong so before people talk themselves into World War wiser heads must prevail.