North Korea is China’s proxy, not an independent actor. United States policy needs to adjust to this reality, placing the onus for North Korea’s nuclear missile program where it belongs: in Beijing. Such a shift could defuse the immediate crisis on the Korean Peninsula while laying the groundwork for a resolution in line with U.S. national interests pending two policy changes.

First, announce that any North Korean nuclear strike will be treated as a nuclear strike from China. This treats the North Korean nuclear missile program in its proper context: an unconventional extension of China’s strategic nuclear missile program. It will also place China on notice that we have seen through the deception that North Korea acts alone.