Visiting China, Kim Sets Out Goals for Next Trump Summit

Says he'll reach deal that international community will welcome

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is in China Wednesday for talks with his Chinese counterpart, President Xi Jinping.The discussions were described as cordial, and included talk of a second Kim-Trump summit, expected to be held at some point in 2019.

Kim said that he intends to work toward making a deal at that new summit that the international community will welcome. He says the intention is to continue to work toward denuclearization and peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Kim was further quoted by Chinese media as saying that he hopes everyone will take North Korea’s “reasonable concerns” seriously in future talks. This is a clear reference to recent US efforts to ratchet up sanctions.

President Xi appeared to back the talks, saying he hoped both sides could meet each other half way. This is a key statement, because President Trump has previously suggested that the Chinese are trying to undermine the talks.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.