After Donald Trump’s provocative declaration that if China “does not solve the North Korean crisis, we will”, I spoke with Austria’s Radio FM4 on Monday about the bluster and whether it has any substance for US policy.

The discussion considers whether Trump — or the Pentagon — could be considering military action against North Korea. It then takes a wider look at US-Chinese relations, ahead of this weekend’s visit by China’s leader Xi Jinping to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

Trump is using the same tactics as he uses in business and in politics — he is going to bluster and try to bully his opponents, whether they are business rivals, Hillary Clinton, or the Chinese — but I am not sure Trump has much comprehension of what the diplomatic and military options are. In an absence of really clear direction from the top, the Pentagon is taking advantage, both on the air and on the ground. Clearly, we are not talking about aerial attacks or a ground invasion, but whether the Pentagon might be considering cyber-attacks or some type of show of force — that’s what I would be watching for….

Trump is showing a public face of “We’re going to be tough, we’re going to tell the Chinese what to do.” But when you have to walk the walk in the discussions with the Chinese, that will be a different matter.

Listen to discussion from 12:16