As global powers condemn North Korea’s latest step up the nuclear ladder, the one nation that can actually stop Kim Jong Un is unlikely to do much.
All eyes are again on China after Pyongyang conducted its second nuclear test this year -- its fifth since 2006 -- after a surge in ballistic missile launches. China, as North Korea’s sole major ally, accounts for about 76 percent of its neighbor’s trade, 90 percent of its energy, and almost half of its food.