One of Washington's greatest policy failures is North Korea. Pyongyang's most recent provocation apparently was hacking Sony Pictures in retaliation for the movie "The Interview."

More fundamentally, despite manifold U.S. efforts to enforce nonproliferation the Democratic People's Republic of Korea remains determined to create a sizable nuclear arsenal.

Successive administrations have sought China's aid to restrain North Korea, but have failed to listen to Beijing while lobbying Chinese officials for their support. If Washington hopes to win backing from the People's Republic of China, American policymakers must respond to China's recommendations and concerns.