Just when it seemed Hu Jintao's record as China's president couldn't look any worse, Kim Jong Un adds another black mark to his legacy.
Last week's dramatic execution of Kim's uncle and No. 2 — the China-friendly Jang Song Thaek — has many people looking to see how Beijing reacts. China is Kim's main benefactor and, despite protestations to the contrary, the only government with real leverage over North Korea's leader.
In the weeks to come, current President Xi Jinping should do all he can to wield that power to rein in the vindictive, unpredictable Kim — for the good of China, let alone the rest of us.