US-China dialogue leaves both sides far apart on N Korea

THE United States and China held the first round of the newly established diplomatic and security dialogue last week with North Korea as the principle topic. The Americans emphasised the need for China to do more.

The Global Times newspaper reported that the dialogue was "the equivalent to that of a 'two plus two' dialogue between the US and its allies". The US, the newspaper said, "has this kind of mechanism with its closest allies such as Japan and Australia".

The message to America's allies was obvious: China now has a relationship with the US that is as close as that of any ally.

However, the tone of American officials was quite different. This was made evident by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Secretary of Def…