President Trump wants China’s help to rein in North Korea and has been open to negotiating with Beijing to deal with Pyongyang. Negotiations began with obtaining a more beneficial trade deal with the United States. There are now reports that the Pentagon turned down a freedom-of-navigation operation request in the South China Sea to avoid “antagonizing China.” No indication has been made as to whether Washington, DC is trading the South China Sea for Beijing’s cooperation on Pyongyang, but it is certainly one of many policy options.

While China’s help will be critical in a denuclearized Korean Peninsula, would it be wise for the United States to give up a large bargaining chip, such as the South China Sea, in exchange for Chinese action on North Korea—especially when China will not act in a way that could destabilize Kim Jong-un’s regime? Other issues exist in the U.S.-China relationship, such as the difficulty of doing business in China, cybersecurity, and not to mention the potential Thucydides Trap. Furthermore, Washington would lose credibility in the eyes of its allies and potentially place its economic interests at risk. So, regarding a trade of the South China Sea and avoidance of a trade war for North Korea, Beijing looks like it would get a lot more in exchange for very little. These gains are worth considering:

http://nationalinterest.org/feature/pressure-cooker-how-the-south-china-sea-can-help-america-20603