Xi-Trump at G20: why North Korea is both common ground and trade war battleground

North Korea issue doubles as a gateway to presidents’ dialogue, but Beijing has learned perils of helping the US in return for trade concessions

Disputes with Washington could affect how strictly Beijing enforces sanctions against Pyongyang

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Kim Jong-un’s regime is expected to remain subject to sanctions, but denuclearisation will not necessarily move closer. Photo: Reuters

Published: 6:00pm, 27 Nov 2018Updated: 1:05pm, 30 Nov 2018

As the leaders of China and the United States prepare for their much-anticipated meeting in Argentina over the weekend, the South China Morning Post looks at the increasingly strained ties between the two nations. This second part looks at how North Korea has influenced China-US relations. Read the first part here.

North Korea will be high on the agenda as the leaders of China and the United States meet in Argentina this week to revive cooperation, but deep-rooted distrust is likely to prevent any major changes in their rivalry, observers say.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, are set to meet at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires two weeks after there was open hostility between the two nations at the Apec meeting in Papua New Guinea.

The two leaders talked by phone early this month and agreed to meet in Argentina’s capital to lay the ground for further discussions on North Korea, allowing them to repair relations that have weakened over the past year because of trade friction.

Analysts generally agree that the two sides will reaffirm their stance on denuclearisation and commitment to the United Nations sanctions on the Kim Jong-un regime, giving a chance for them to cooperate despite their vast differences on trade.