conditions. >> adam is also the former director of the north korean task force at the council on foreign relations. joining me now from washington via skype. adam, let's talk about the timing of this missile launch. china hosting a trade and infrastructure forum with major world leaders. north korea is aware of that. they're also aware of the transition that's taking place in south korea with a new president. does all that play into this? >> i think it does. it's an understudied and underrecognized fact that china and north korea have been signaling to each other with their militaries for several months now and several years now. it is a relationship that is not comfortable. they're not on as good of terms as they have been in the past. president xi jinping has never met kim jong-un, who has never left his own country. it's a relationship that's strained.