Would this not suggest that China has approved, or at the very least, acquiesced, to the current situation? This latest incident comes at a time when the United States and China are butting heads over currency policies and after the Democrats have suffered election reversals. This issue will distract and embarrass the United States and its allies in the region, possibly resulting in a new, humiliating round of appeasement toward North Korea. As long as the situation doesn't get out of hand, China stands to gain from it.