UPDATE: North Korea is China's useful idiot

James M. Zimmerman commented that China covets "access to one of Asia’s northern-most ice-free ports on the Sea of Japan." As I wrote before, that port is Najin on the eastern side of North Korea. It is quite possible that China craves dual-access (with NK) to that port for two reasons: its own shipping requirements and a desire to keep Russia out of the region. Propping-up North Korea kills two birds with one stone.