There’s still room for cautious optimism on North Korea talks
A warning by a Pyongyang official that a meeting with US President Donald Trump was at risk reflected the current fragility, but China’s role in the peace process will prove crucial
The stepped-up pace of diplomacy ahead of the much anticipated summit between the leaders of North Korea and the United States in Singapore on June 12 gave cause for optimism.
A second meeting of President Xi Jinping with the North’s Kim Jong-un, a phone call between Xi and his American counterpart Donald Trump and another trip to Pyongyang by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during which three American prisoners were set free raised expectations.
Still, Xi and Kim made plain their desire for peace on the Korean peninsula at their surprise summit in the coastal city of Dalian in Liaoning last week and Pompeo later expressed similar sentiment during meetings with North Korean leaders. Central to the desire for peace and stability is denuclearisation and that is where the challenge in negotiations lies.
Each nation has a different definition of what denuclearisation means, and how that is to be attained will be tied to goals and objectives, making for tough bargaining.