China won’t solve our North Korean problem, says Ralph Peters

Lt. Col. Ralph Peters (Ret.) on Monday explained why China won’t help the U.S. neutralize North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.

“We have never called China to account seriously on trade issues on dumping…because we’ve been chasing this Unicorn, of a fantasy that China is going to solve the North Korean problem for us. China will not solve our North Korean problem,” he told FOX Business’ Lauren Simonetti.

Peters said that no matter how threatening North Korea’s nuclear weapons program is to the United States, China won’t help because it values North Korea’s position in East Asia.

“In peacetime, it keeps us focused on North Korea rather than China. In war time, North Korea would be a very valuable ally of China, tie our troops down. We tell ourselves that China shares our interest, no it doesn’t. China sees us, our military presence in the Pacific as a number one threat to its ambitions and they would be perfectly glad to let North Korea help them destroy that threat.”

Peters also added that if the United States were to take military action against North Korea, “It is going to be complex, it is going to be bloody, it’s going to be very very ugly and it may not be short.”