North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is visiting China from January 7 to 10 at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Chinese news agency Xinhua reported Tuesday without giving further details.
China remains North Korea’s closest ally, extending a cross-border economic lifeline to the cash-strapped and heavily sanctioned state, and China has called for economic sanctions on North Korea to be eased.
While there have been tensions between Beijing and Pyongyang, the two Korean War allies retain close ties, with China being North Korea’s most important ally as the two nations face off against the United States.
The timing of Kim’s trip to China could be highly significant, potentially suggesting an imminent summit with US President Donald Trump. In 2018, Kim met Xi for discussions prior to his first summits with both South Korean President Moon Jae-in in April and with Trump in June.
Moon had been expecting to meet Kim in Seoul in December – a meeting that did not transpire for unexplained reasons. Meanwhile, Washington has given multiple indications there will be a meeting between Kim and Trump in January or February.
Vietnam to host summit?
While no date for the second Kim-Trump summit has yet been set, nor has a location been decided, South Korean daily the Munhwa Ilbo reported Monday that the meeting could take place in Hanoi.
According to the newspaper, which cited unnamed diplomatic sources for its report, US State Department officials have met multiple times with their counterparts in Hanoi to discuss the summit.
“There is a very short list of places which are suitable candidates [for the summit],” Andrei Lankov, a North Korea expert at Seoul’s Kukmin University, told Asia Times. “They have to be within flying distance of North Korean government planes, which is 6-7 hours flight time from Pyongyang.”
China and Russia have a contentious relationship with the United States, while Japan has a contentious relationship, and no diplomatic relations, with North Korea, indicating those three nations are out of the running.
Lankov suggested that leaves Malaysia, Mongolia, Singapore and Vietnam. However, Malaysia would be an unlikely candidate due to the assassination of Kim Jong Un’s half-brother Kim Jong Nam in Kuala Lumpur in 2017.
Vietnam enjoys diplomatic relations with both the United States and North Korea. Pyongyang assisted Hanoi during its war against the US, sending fighter pilots to help defend North Vietnamese airspace.
Washington’s diplomatic relations with Hanoi are more recent. However, from the US perspective, Vietnam could send meaningful messages to Kim. It is believed that one reason Washington sought Singapore as a summit location last June was to showcase the prosperity of an open society.
For similar reasons, Hanoi would showcase the capital of a communist-party run nation that formerly fought a war against the United States, but has reformed its economy and enjoys solid ties with its former enemy.
Progress and compromise
On Sunday, Trump told reporters in Washington that North Korea and the United States were negotiating a location for their anticipated summit, and that “it will be announced probably in the not-too-distant future.”
Kim and Trump – two leaders who both take a top-down approach to leadership – have much to discuss, given that the two forged apparently amicable relations in Singapore last June, and both Kim and Trump have publicly praised one another since.
However, their chief negotiators, ex-general Kim Yong Chol and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, have failed to make any progress in narrowing the gap between the two nations.
The United States insists on maintaining sanctions pressure until denuclearization is complete. North Korea has demanded eased sanctions and progress on formally ending the 1950-53 Korean War as part of the overall process of denuclearizing and improving bilateral relations.
Amid this unpromising situation, much hangs on the outcome of the second summit where the two leaders can negotiate face to face.
“Objectively, [a Kim-Trump summit] is the only place where a meaningful compromise can be reached,” Lankov said. “The question is whether the US side is interested in a compromise: the official line is ‘all or nothing.’ Trump can negotiate a compromise, but whether he will or not – that is the question.”
The tade talks must be at an impasse. The NK card always works for China, the genie always gives wishes.
The tade talks must be at an impasse. The NK card always works for China, the genie always gives wishes.
It is good that NK keeps on building its nuclear arsenal because it maintains peace and reduces tension. Indeed, since NK has set up its nuclear strike force at the end of 2017, tension in the Korean Peninsula as well as tension between NK and USA are significantly reduced. The US no longer sends its powerful armada and its even more powerful fleet of submarines close to NK. This is good also for the US since the US navy does not have the opportunity to bury alive American sailors like it did in 2017 when two American destroyers were rammed by cargo ships. Trump no longer call Kim JongUn Rocket Man, and Kim JongUn no longer calls Trump a dotard. All in all, it is much better that NK keeps its nuclear arsenal and never gives it up.
It is good that NK keeps on building its nuclear arsenal because it maintains peace and reduces tension. Indeed, since NK has set up its nuclear strike force at the end of 2017, tension in the Korean Peninsula as well as tension between NK and USA are significantly reduced. The US no longer sends its powerful armada and its even more powerful fleet of submarines close to NK. This is good also for the US since the US navy does not have the opportunity to bury alive American sailors like it did in 2017 when two American destroyers were rammed by cargo ships. Trump no longer call Kim JongUn Rocket Man, and Kim JongUn no longer calls Trump a dotard. All in all, it is much better that NK keeps its nuclear arsenal and never gives it up.
said the sockpuppet
said the sockpuppet
Trump will claim it was a terrific meeting – the best ever! – and tweet that Americans can still sleep safely without worrying they are about to be annihilated by North Korean nukes. That would have happened in Crooked Hillary’s World War 3!
Kim will go on building his nuclear arsenal while making slow progress in developing a workable relationship with the South.
Trump will claim it was a terrific meeting – the best ever! – and tweet that Americans can still sleep safely without worrying they are about to be annihilated by North Korean nukes. That would have happened in Crooked Hillary’s World War 3!
Kim will go on building his nuclear arsenal while making slow progress in developing a workable relationship with the South.
Trump is pushing communist China and N Korea into corners, and people are saying he is arrogant or stupid, who are you? If communism is that great, why don’t you go live in one of the communist countreis, where you wouldn’t even be able to read this article and don’t have to be so annoyed?
Trump is pushing communist China and N Korea into corners, and people are saying he is arrogant or stupid, who are you? If communism is that great, why don’t you go live in one of the communist countreis, where you wouldn’t even be able to read this article and don’t have to be so annoyed?
Some call it US arrogance, other call it US stupidity. But it amount to the same thing. The US has yet to realise that, under the present circumstances, it is dangerous to continue with the invasion of Korea. The US must put an end to this invasion by removing all its soldiers out of Korea. And the sooner all American soldiers are removed out of Korea, the better it will be both for the American population and for the World.
Some call it US arrogance, other call it US stupidity. But it amount to the same thing. The US has yet to realise that, under the present circumstances, it is dangerous to continue with the invasion of Korea. The US must put an end to this invasion by removing all its soldiers out of Korea. And the sooner all American soldiers are removed out of Korea, the better it will be both for the American population and for the World.
The Kim dude needs to show to the trumpeter that he is not alone in negotiating.
The Kim dude needs to show to the trumpeter that he is not alone in negotiating.
US arrogance puts the whole world at risk.
US arrogance puts the whole world at risk.