North Korea is „not a bargaining chip“ in trade talks…
Just as the second day of mid-level trade talks between US and Chinese delegations in Beijing was beginning, a surprising report crossed the wire: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had been invited to travel to China for the first time since June to meet with President Xi Jinping. News of the visit immediately provoked speculation that Beijing was trying to send a message: If the US wants peace on the Korean peninsula, China will need to be involved.
Underscoring that point, President Trump affirmed last week that Washington and Pyongyang are planning a second diplomatic summit (though Trump claimed that North Korea was showing some reluctance) to continue negotiations about denuclearizing the peninsula.
And while talks between the US and the North have hit an impasse over the US’s unwillingness to lift sanctions until the North finishes surrendering his nukes – the North, on the other hand, has been pushing for their gradual removal – South Korean news agency Yonhap reported Tuesday, citing intelligence agency reports, that the North and China might discuss the prospects for „a peace treaty“ with South Korea that would formally end the Korean War – one of the loftiest goals from the thaw in inter-Korean relations this year.
Kim is expected to remain in China until the weekend.
A special train, carrying Kim and his wife, Ri Sol-ju, arrived in Beijing earlier in the day on a four-day trip at the invitation of Chinese President Xi, according to the North’s state media.
