Conversation this weekend at Mar-a-Lago, somewhere between the 11th and 12th holes....
"So President Ping... It is Ping, right? Not Xeee? Oh you pronounce it Zee. I got it. What about the Gin part? Gin Ping? Sounds like a cocktail! Well, anyway, before we putt, I have a little proposal for you. Sort of like Let's Make a Deal and I'm Wayne Brady."
"Waiiin Blady?"
"You're right... noone ever heard of him. I'm Monty Hall!"
"Ah, So! He neuter all the dogs"
"No, that's Bob Barker. Anyway... so here's my deal. I don't recognize Taiwan... Stop twitching like that Ping. I can say Taiwan if I want. It's not like you haven't heard it before. They make your machine tools. Anyway, I keep pretending like Taiwan doesn't exist, and you smoke that little twerp Kim Jong Nutball with one of your Silkworm Missiles. And I let you win this round of 18. Whattdya say?"
"Throw in I get to keep sand island we build in middle of sea."
"Ok, you get to keep it, but no jets on it. Or subs. Instead, we put a casino on it."
"Best payout in South China Sea?"
"Yup. We'll even make the slots by the door pay out extra. And Wayne Newton will come to the opening."
"Ok... deal!"
The solution here is China... eventually, they will get tired of their millstone. A nice, stable united Korea on their border is a plus at this point. 30 years ago... not so much. Today, the last thing they need is instability. They need the markets... One flick of the finger and China squashes the whole regime. Let South Korea pay the bills... that will keep them busy for 20 years. China can sell lots of good, no refugee problem... No NK war started that China gets blamed for. Nice and tidy.
Which is why, obviously, that won't happen. But it is a best-case scenario.
Cheers,
Sirhr