Warning the US could act alone, President Donald Trump has vowed to deliver an ultimatum to Chinese leader Xi Jinping to rein in North Korea when the two men come face-to-face for the first time this week.
But Trump's early retreat on Taiwan already has chipped away at his standing with Beijing, and another bluff could leave him looking the way he hates most: Weak.
While Trump enters first US-Chinese summit short on foreign policy experience, he may have advantages to help him succeed where past presidents have failed.
Trump's candour and unpredictability, combined with his veiled threats of possible sanctions on Chinese banks and even US military action against North Korea, could provide him new leverage with Beijing.
But if he's bluffing, and Xi calls him on it, that might prove damaging in future negotiations with China or in building a united front against North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.
The two-day meeting at Trump's Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, starts Thursday after yet another North Korean provocation: the latest test-launch of a ballistic missile. Although US officials said the launch was a failure and didn't threaten North America, it underscored North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's intent to advance his weaponry in defiance of international law. The North may also be preparing for another nuclear test.
Trump warned this week, "If China is not going to solve North Korea, we will."
He didn't elaborate, but his administration is looking at sanctions against Chinese banks and companies that provide North Korea access to the international financial system, a move strongly backed by Congress.
And on a recent trip to Asia, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson reminded the region that the US also retains the option of pre-emptive military force.
