North Korean provocations on the one hand, Donald Trump's funambulism on the other: are we now on the brink of a nuclear war? The situation is actually much more complex than the headlines of the newspapers might suggest. For decades, Pyongyang has been playing the role of intimidation and maintaining a defensive stance on nuclear weapons. However, its intentions have not changed: the authorities have never stopped pursuing the program launched in 1962. However, the United States is losing influence in East Asia: weakened, they must fight to continue to protect Korea from South and Japan North Korean aggression. This development benefits China, whose patience and calm contrast with the sudden outbursts of its neighbors, and allow it to strengthen its position on the international scene. The Middle Kingdom, however, struggles to temper the aggression of the new American president, who seems ready to do anything to impress the rest of the world.