Beijing shifts stance on North Korea, but is Pyongyang listening? 

As usual, signs of change in Beijing’s position on the North come from its state-controlled media. 
One such outlet, the Global Times, ran an editorial last week which must have grabbed the attention of all parties concerned – especially Pyongyang. It suggested the possibility of Beijing condoning a US surgical strike against a nuclear facility in North Korea. 
It said Beijing would oppose any military attack on North Korea’s nuclear facility through “diplomatic channels”, but would not get “involved through military action”. 
The editorial insisted that Beijing would “never sit back and watch” if US and South Korean forces cross the Korean border and destroy the regime in Pyongyang. 
Nevertheless, it represented a sea change for China’s state-controlled media by declaring Beijing would limit itself to verbal criticism of a US attack against its decades-long communist ally. This, after all, is the same government which until recently evaded all pressure from the international community to exert influence on Pyongyang as its sole benefactor and economic lifeline. 
The Global Times editorial is only the latest in a series of signs that the Chinese government is now taking a different approach. The Associated Press reported from Pyongyang that Chinese tourism companies are cutting or even eliminating North Korea tours. Air China announced this month that it has scrapped its Beijing-Pyongyang route.
More importantly, China has been limiting imports of North Korean coal, a major source of foreign currency for the economically impoverished country. US President Donald Trump said last week that China turned back North Korean ships carrying coal, lauding the “big step” taken by Beijing to pressure Pyongyang. 
Now Chinese experts and media are publicly raising the prospect of Chinese oil embargo if the North conducts another nuclear test. AP reports that oil is already in short supply in Pyongyang. 
All these developments come after Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier this month. They did not announce any breakthrough, although Trump – in the days leading up to their first summit – had pressed Xi hard to play a role in forcing the North to halt its nuclear and missile provocations. 
But it is apparent that Trump and Xi – through their face-to-face meeting and subsequent phone conversations – have cultivated confidence in each other. Trump said Xi is “working hard” to increase pressure on Pyongyang. 
Trump even announced that he will not name China a currency manipulator, linking the decision to his efforts to secure Beijing’s support over North Korea. 
As if to demonstrate their quick-built bond and seemingly tacit agreement to work together on North Korea, Trump and Xi have talked twice on the phone since their summit in Florida. 
Obviously, a Chinese leader who listens to – or at least talks frequently with – his US counterpart should offer the North an unprecedented challenge. Worryingly though, rather than recalibrating for the new situation, Pyongyang is still spouting bellicose rhetoric – and against not only the US but also China. 
The North’s state media declared that if China – referred to as a “neighbouring country” – keeps applying sanctions on North Korea while dancing to someone else’s tune, it should get itself ready to face “catastrophic consequences” in their bilateral relations.
In another editorial, the Global Times offered pointed advice to the North, saying Pyongyang needs to “revise” its understanding of North Korea as a “guard” for China, one that Beijing has no other alternative except to support. 
If North Korea really thinks this, it is making a serious mistake, the editorial added. We could not agree more.