The Democratic People's Republic of Korea's nuclear/missile adventure is dangerous not just for the Republic of Korea, the United States, and Japan. A nuclear-armed yet unstable neighbor will prove detrimental to China, too, even though it does not look like one now.

The key stakeholders should have stood together for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Beijing's latest indication to cooperate with Washington in the United Nations Security Council should have been a matter of course. Washington and its allies must be aware that no sanctions will succeed without Beijing on board. And a military solution can hardly go without violating the UN mission for peace.

For Beijing, collaborating with other players and making the UN Security Council work, and its resolutions bite, are necessary, if the matter is to be handled within the UN framework.