Chinese Oil Key Point of Strategic Leverage Against North Korea
Kevin Rudd on Fox News
On May 14, 2017, Asia Society Policy Institute President Kevin Rudd spoke to Fox News about the international impact of North Korea's latest ballistic missile test. Experts have confirmed that unlike recent tests, this test of a KN-17 missile was successful, proving that North Korea is advancing its capabilities.
Rudd said that it was critical for the United States, China, and other members of the international community to work together to bring about a change in the North Korean regime's behavior, indicating that the primary point of “strategic leverage” at this stage is the Chinese oil supply to North Korea, which sustains both its economy and military.
Rudd also discussed the utility of deploying additional missile defense systems to the west coast of the United States, saying that North Korea will eventually be able to "overwhelm missile defense systems” if they have a large number of missiles and enough nuclear material. Therefore, he explained that the situation demands a more comprehensive and long-standing solution. (4 min., 53 sec.)