China patiently bore this pattern of intermittent brinkmanship and timid reform, largely owing to its belief that the risks posed by the Kim dynasty could be controlled as long as China did not cut off the regime’s lifeline of oil, food, and other necessities.
Plus important, les dirigeants chinois croyaient qu’en protégeant le Nord de la pression américaine, elle œuvrait dans l’intérêt de sa propre sécurité nationale.