The land of lousy options

摘要

IT WAS with trademark braggadocio that Donald Trump told the Financial Times, just days before meeting his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, that if China failed to "solve" the problem of North Korea's nuclear programme, it was "totally" possible that America would do so alone. "China will either help us with North Korea, or they won't," said Mr Trump. "If they do, that will be very good for China, and if they don't, it won't be very good for anyone." Mr Trump's remarks came after the conclusion of a White House review of all the options available for dealing with what Barack Obama had warned would be the most urgent threat to national security under the new administration.