China should buy North Korea for real.

If you think about it, it's something that will benefit everybody, and nobody will be worse off.

1. Huge improvement of human rights for North Korea. China is not the Best, but on the margin it's vastly better for North Koreans compared to the status quo.

2. Reduces the number of nuclear armed country. Unlike a Korean peninsular reunification, since China is already a nuclear power that promised not to preemptively strike, there will be no nuclear proliferation. And the total count of nuclear capable countries will for the first time in decades decline by one.

3. This is the only scenario where China has sufficient incentive to solve the problem of North Korea. Otherwise the status quo benefits everyone except the US.

4. Benefits China: in addition to more land, national pride etc, it will inject a very young workforce that China needs.

5. The deal will essentially pay for itself and then quite some. Basically like Maoist China, the economic problem for NK is totally self-inflicted institutional.

6. It may even satiate China's desire for Taiwan. The West can negotiate a grand bargain with China that guarantees, if not independence, at least security or a treaty toward peaceful rosolution in the future.

7. The Kim family will be guaranteed a cut from the deal that will support his love of luxury forever (if wisely invested). Also solves his family's problem of power transfer and siblicide.

The list can go on but I'm really struggling to see anyone leaving the table worse off!