Who’s the winner and who’s the loser in Trump-Kim talks?

Trump spies a goal for ‘America First’, the South Korean president takes a personal stake and even Pyongyang has something to gain. But China may be less over the Moon

Reading Time:3 minutes

Chinese President Xi Jinping might not have as much to smile about as Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump. Photo: EPA

Published: 1:30pm, 18 Mar 2018Updated: 1:46pm, 18 Mar 2018

Seventy-two hours was all it took to rip up the rule book for international relations – or at least the chapter on Northeast Asia.

In the space of just three days, a once unthinkable scenario unfolded as North Korea accepted an invitation from the South for a summit and extended its own invite to the United States.

Even if nothing further happens, this alone is a game changer. That these three leaders – America’s Donald Trump, the North’s Kim Jong-un and the South’s Moon Jae-in – have cleared the way to meet each other raises hopes for a peaceful solution to the North Korea nuclear crisis.

And if the summits do take place as planned, the whole theatre of regional affairs could be transformed with new lead actors and supporting casts.

For South Korea, there is much to win, but it will not be easy. As the Trump-Kim summit follows the inter-Korean summit, Seoul must tread carefully. Should its conduct in the first set of talks upset the North, it risks scuppering the subsequent summit – something that would leave it isolated and attract distrust from neighbouring states.

Who’s the winner and who’s the loser in Trump-Kim talks?

Trump spies a goal for ‘America First’, the South Korean president takes a personal stake and even Pyongyang has something to gain. But China may be less over the Moon

Why the Trump-Kim meeting hinges on China