Can dealmaker Donald Trump surprise the world on North Korea and give peace a chance?

As North Korea continues to conduct powerful nuclear tests, defying strong international opposition, US President Donald Trump continues to criticise China for ­doing too little to ­disable Pyongyang’s ­nuclear weapons programme. Does this ­allegation make sense?

The reason North Korea ­insists on ­developing nuclear weapons is deeply rooted in the regime’s insecurity, instigated by the US: and the US holds the only key to solving the Korean nuclear arms issue.

Western mainstream media tends to depict North Korea as the sole provocateur in this issue, but it takes two to tango. In the eyes of Pyongyang, every missile or nuclear test is a specific response to a hostile act by the US. Instead of turning to diplomacy, Pyongyang has chosen to fire missiles as a way of conveying messages of contempt. It is a peculiar mode of communication, but understandable given the country’s extended isolation from the international community. Given that the escalation of the Korean nuclear arms issue stems from the intensified stand-off with the US, should not Washington bear the other half of the responsibility, to say the least?

Take military exercises. The cold war ended long ago, but the US and South Korea never stopped their live-fire drills, naturally seen as a material threat by Pyongyang.