Eyes on US-China summit as North Korea talks gain momentum

US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a summit at the White House on Thursday (local time), with the Korean Peninsula among the topics discussed. Attention is now focused on whether the meeting could help revive US-North Korea dialogue, as Trump has repeatedly expressed his intention to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un before the year is out.

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a post-summit statement that the two leaders "exchanged views on major international and regional issues, including the situation in the Middle East, the Ukraine crisis and the Korean Peninsula issue." It did not disclose the substance of those exchanges. The Korean Peninsula reference appeared briefly near the end of the statement, in language identical to that used after the two leaders' May summit in Beijing.

The talks were held in the Oval Office in two closed sessions — a small-group meeting and an expanded session. Xi arrived at the White House at around 10:07 a.m. and stayed for approximately three hours and 22 minutes, including a welcoming ceremony and a walk. It was Xi's first White House visit in 11 years, since 2015, and the third in-person meeting between the two leaders since Trump's second term began — following a summit in Busan last October and one in Beijing in May.

Trump told reporters after the meeting that it had been "a very good meeting." Neither leader responded to questions about Taiwan or AI. The White House had yet to announce specific agreements reached.

At a state dinner held that evening, Trump expressed pride in the US-China relationship and pledged continued cooperation. Xi said the two countries' interests were "deeply intertwined" and that "mutual trust can be built."

South Korean officials and diplomatic circles are watching closely for any signal on US-North Korea dialogue. A senior White House official said in a phone briefing on Saturday that Trump "is ready to talk with Kim Jong-un, whether by phone or in person," adding that "the ball is very much in North Korea's court." South Korea's National Intelligence Service also reportedly told the National Assembly's intelligence committee on Sept. 1 that a US-North Korea summit was "possible at any time" and that "there are signs of dialogue."

Diplomatic observers suggest the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, scheduled for Nov. 18-19 in Shenzhen, China, could serve as a venue for US-North Korea contact. Given that Xi visited Pyongyang in June for the first time in seven years and has been tending to China-North Korea ties, analysts say the chances of a meeting would improve significantly if China were to invite Kim or offer a venue.

Significant obstacles remain, however. After the May summit, the White House's fact sheet stated that the two leaders had "reaffirmed the shared goal of denuclearization of North Korea," but the Chinese readout made no mention of denuclearization.

North Korea pushed back on June 6, when Kim Yo-jong, a senior official of the ruling Workers' Party, issued a statement calling a US Department of State spokesperson's remarks to similar effect "not true at all." North Korea also fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the Donghae on Sunday, four days before the US-China summit, with one traveling more than 600 kilometers.

South Korea's government has also been lending its weight to efforts to restart dialogue. President Lee Jae Myung, in his keynote address to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday (local time), said South Korea is "a stakeholder and a pacemaker for peace on the Korean Peninsula."

Lee proposed a phased approach — moving from a halt to a reduction in North Korea's nuclear and missile development, ultimately toward a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula — and called for four-way talks among South Korea, North Korea, the United States and China. That same evening in New York, Lee held a roughly 30-minute meeting with Trump.

National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said that when Lee asked Trump to help resolve the issue through US-North Korea dialogue, Trump responded to the effect that he would do so.

Experts said the door to renewed US-North Korea dialogue remains open, but cautioned that China's role would have its limits.

Yang Uk, a senior research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, said the US-China summit "could serve as a catalyst for US-North Korea dialogue," adding that while North Korea "does not appear very interested right now, when it comes down to it, if there is something worth talking about, it will not refuse." He cautioned, however, that "North Korea will also want to avoid a repeat of the last time — talks for the sake of talks that ended without results."

Yang offered a measured assessment of China's potential role. "Even if China plays a role, I honestly do not know how significant that role will be," he said. "China always talks about peace, but ultimately it is more about managing the risk of conflict breaking out near its own borders." He added that China would likely seek to use any involvement "only for the purpose of risk management."

Yang also said that "even if an agreement is reached between the US and North Korea, we must avoid a situation where something is agreed upon that does not reflect our interests at all."