'Xi could join Kim, Trump for summit'
The railway station in Dandong, a Chinese city on the border with North Korea, is cordoned off Tuesday amid rumors that a top North Korean was visiting Beijing. The city is on the way from the North to Beijing. / Yonhap |
By Oh Young-jin
What was going on in Beijing?
Was it North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's visit or a trial run for a possible Beijing summit for Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump in May?
"It must be Kim Jong-un or …," said a person who is familiar with how North Korea's leadership behaves, during an interview after reports about the North Korean dictator's visit to China Tuesday.
The person who doesn't want to be identified said the North, however estranged in its relationship with China, wouldn't dare meet U.S. President Donald Trump without first meeting Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The Kim-Trump summit is slated for May, with the meeting between President Moon Jae-in and Kim set for late April.
"If China stops its supplies completely for six months to one year, the North would find itself in a very tough spot ― so tough that its collapse can't be ruled out," he said.
Kim Jong-un says 'North Korea is committed to denuclearization' 2018-03-28 09:32 | North Korea Kim Jong-un meets Xi in Beijing 2018-03-27 16:38 | Politics Kim Jong-un makes surprise visit to China: reports 2018-03-27 07:53 | North Korea Reports say the North Korean leader arrived in Beijing on a special train and was then taken via motorcade. But no one ― China, the United States or South Korea ― has confirmed it, not to mention Pyongyang.
The visit, if it was indeed by Kim Jong-un, would be his first as North Korean leader to China and his first encounter with the Chinese leader who has reportedly loathed the young dictator's uncontrollable pursuit of nuclear arms and long-range missiles.
Whether it was Kim or one by his subordinates, the visit has the purpose of checking whether Beijing is suitable for the May summit, the source said. "Kim Jong-un would not feel comfortable in any venue except for Pyongyang," he said. "Considering Trump would come to Pyongyang only when he thinks he can get the outcome he wants, the Chinese capital would most likely be the place."
At a Beijing summit, the likelihood is that Xi would be the host to Trump and Kim, making it a three-way summit. "For Seoul, it could prove a tall order to have a seat at the table," the source said.
Tuesday's visit would also be to coordinate the position of Beijing and Pyongyang before the North Korean-U.S. summit, he believed. "The North doesn't want to give up its nuclear weapons and missiles, while the United States wants nothing less than to see the North's nuclear programs dismantled completely."
As his logic goes, Beijing will play a role in mediating for a "freeze-for-freeze" formula to have the North stop its weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs, while the United States helps suspend international sanctions on the North, especially the last two by the United Nations.
Trump got on board for the May talks, which he said would show the U.S. leader's determination to achieve the North's denuclearization. "The North must know about Trump's own expectations," the source said.
But there are murky parts to the U.S. goal of a denuclearized North Korea. "Which comes first to tackle ― nuclear materials and facilities or nuclear weapons? If a choice is made to tackle the first, then the North can buy a couple of years," he said.
The chance is that the North will try to drag things out, with the ultimate goal of surviving Trump's pressure. "Then it would emerge with its nuclear program still viable, while Trump could claim that the North no longer has a capability or plan to destroy the U.S. with nuclear weapons."
(责任编辑:新闻中心)
相关内容
- Wordle today: The answer and hints for August 29
- Quarantine team sent to Samsung hospital
- Some police departments shelve body cameras, blame data costs
- Tunisia's Jabeur topples defending champ Andreescu in Montreal
- 'Terminator Zero' creators find fresh life in sci
- The OLED Burn
- N. Korean foreign minister returns home after trip to Russia
- N. Korea to miss Universiade in S. Korea
- S. Korea imposes sanctions on 11 vessels over N. Korea's illegal ship
- Expanded police surveillance will get us “broken windows” on steroids.
- [Graphic News] Government collects record fines
- Ruling party gears up for unilateral approval of new PM
- NK threat could change 'drastically' given Russia cooperation: US official
推荐文章
-
World's first green ammonia plant is now open for business
Three Danish energy tech firms have flung open the doors to the first ever green ammonia plant in th ...[详细] -
Virtual reality now has Emmy winners, too
Virtual reality has official entered awards season territory.Henry, a VR animated short about a hedg ...[详细] -
This 'sniffer plane' is how the U.S. monitors North Korea's nuclear tests
North Korea conducted yet another nuclear test on Sept. 8, and it was seemingly the country's most p ...[详细] -
Snapchat's finally offering more location data to advertisers
Snap here. Snap there. Snap everywhere — especially in stores. Snapchat, the disappearing mess ...[详细] -
SCOTUS: The courts implementing Project 2025, without Trump.
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court refused to allow a new rule issued by the Department of Educat ...[详细] -
Google claims it awards gender
Google said it was "quite surprised" when the Department of Labor claimed last week that the tech gi ...[详细] -
Most newlyweds in Seoul live on lease
Two out of three newlywed couples live in houses on lease, with half priced between 100 million won ...[详细] -
N. Korea rebuilds destroyed guard posts inside DMZ with concrete
North Korean soldiers are spotted near a guard post inside the Demilitarized Zone in this photo rele ...[详细] -
Nvidia GeForce Now Ultimate vs. New Graphics Card
Video games are getting prettier. But the price that comes with more realistic graphics, ray tracing ...[详细] -
The lithium-ion batteries that power much of the modern world may be our best solution currently, bu ...[详细]
热点阅读
随机内容
- A Journey Into the Mind of Stephen King
- Putin meets N. Korean FM amid deepening military cooperation
- Giant inflatable baby on a ceiling is a modern take on the Sistine Chapel
- Some Facebook users are seeing a rocket icon in their app. Here's what it does
- First officially approved Gen IV nuclear reactor in the US breaks ground
- Lukaku joins Chelsea from Inter Milan on five
- Snapchat Stories search is here, will deluge you with puppy videos