Ideology only takes a nation-state so far in deciding what other countries to ally with and distance itself from

This is worth noting as the US explores the extent to which it can persuade China to wield influence over North Korea:

Chinese and North Korean forces once fought side by side on the battlefield, but ties have since frayed, possibly beyond repair.

China has a complicated relationship with North Korea, which simultaneously serves as both a strategic asset and a liability. However, it has become more the latter than the former in recent years. North Korea’s frequent provocations frustrate Beijing, and China’s decisions to pressure North Korea in concert with the U.S. greatly angers Pyongyang. China and North Korea’s top leaders absolutely despise one another, according to individuals close to the respective governments.

When Chinese President Xi Jinping took power five years ago, he presented a grand vision for China known as the “Chinese Dream,” an ambitious plan to restore China’s great power status and make the country a responsible and respected global leader. Since North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un took control following the death of his father, the young ruler has advanced the country’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs at an accelerated rate, creating instability on China’s doorstep with frequent tests, drills, and intentionally aggressive and hostile provocations.

The only time former U.S. Ambassador to China Max Baucus has ever heard the professional Chinese president use “undiplomatic language” was when he was talking about Kim, Baucus revealed to the British Broadcasting Network.

“I’ve only heard President Xi speak derogatorily about a person once, and when he did so, it was in fairly strong terms. That was when he was quite critical, a couple of years ago, of Kim Jong-un,” Baucus explained, adding: “He does not like Kim Jong-un. That is very clear.”

Xi was said to be “boiling with fury” after North Korea decided to ruin an important international summit hosted in China last year by firing off multiple missiles. Shortly after the event’s close, the rogue regime conducted its fifth nuclear test.

North Korea’s sixth nuclear test also ruffled some feathers in China.

Beijing’s decision to restrict trade with North Korea, as well as restrict banking services and shut down North Korean businesses, is apparently not just an effort to adhere to the demands of the most recent U.N. sanctions resolutions, according to a source close to China’s government.

Some of China’s actions can be seen as a response to pressure from President Donald Trump’s administration, but other influencing factors may drive China’s efforts to rein in its nuclear neighbor.

“That was a direct response to North Korea’s nuclear provocations on the eve of the BRIC Summit China hosted. I believe China’s government got mad. China’s top leader got mad. That’s a direct a countermeasure China’s government adopted to punish North Korea,” Cheng Xiaohe, a professor at Renmin University in Beijing with ties to the Chinese government and defense, told the BBC.

The friendship between that once existed between the two communist countries has ended, the academic asserted.

Kim may overstep whatever is left of the once-special relationship"

National interests, not ideologies, determine international partnerships, and China’s national interests presently demand a “stable, non-nuclear Korean Peninsula,” Cheng explained. He suggested another provocation, such as a ballistic missile or nuclear test, could push the relationship over the edge.

So while it behooves the US to eye China with the utmost wariness, it should not assume that it has to walk on eggshells with regard to the Chinese stance on North Korea.

Which is not to say we can instantly get China to put an unprecedented squeeze on the Hermit Kingdom. It just means that pretty much no actually likes the vile Kim regime.