North Korea’s fifth nuclear test in early September 2016 has intensified the security predicament in Northeast Asia. China faces a strategic dilemma: deal with North Korea’s repeated nuclear provocations while responding to South Korea’s Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) deployment. In the eyes of Chinese leaders, THAAD is another US-led military containment effort in the Asia Pacific. But North Korea’s nuclear tests further complicate the matter.

What happened after the latest nuclear test? The United States blamed China for North Korea’s actions, South Korea started plans to expedite THAAD’s deployment and the UN Security Council looked at more serious sanctions against North Korea. But all of these responses were useless. Policy solutions need to be more inventive.

North Korea’s nuclear tests have revealed two facts. First, although Beijing cannot control its ‘rogue ally’ in Pyongyang, blaming China for North Korea’s actions doesn’t help either. Second, the THAAD system will not protect South Korea if it antagonises China and Russia. On the flip side, China and Russia will not work together with South Korea and the United States if they feel threatened by THAAD.

Please click here to read the full “Solving Northeast Asian security” article in East Asia Forum by Griffith Asia Institute Associate Professor Kai He and School of Government and International Relations Senior Lecturer Dr Huiyun Feng.