Once sidelined, China stands ready to broker a fourth Trump-Kim handshake

ExclusiveOnce sidelined, China stands ready to broker a fourth Trump-Kim handshake Beijing seeks role as central player in Korean peninsula diplomacy but wants a guarantee Washington has clear goals, source says Multiple people familiar with the matter told the South China Morning Post that Beijing was stepping up to play an “active” and “constructive” role in reviving US-North Korea diplomacy, underscoring its resolve to remain a central player in negotiations on the Korean peninsula as Trump seeks to reignite engagement with Pyongyang. According to two sources, Beijing will support all credible efforts that could lead to resumed dialogue. But they argued that Kim was likely to demand a high price for returning to the negotiating table, given his strengthened ties with Russia – which affords Pyongyang greater diplomatic and military leverage – and China, as well as Kim’s disappointment from past meetings with Trump. One source said Kim was likely to insist on sanctions relief and US recognition of its nuclear status before agreeing to another meeting with Trump. However, a second source added that China would seek to clarify whether Washington had defined potential concrete outcomes ahead of any planned summit. One person familiar with the issue said China was particularly keen to broker a Trump-Kim meeting, seeing Pyongyang as leverage against Washington, but that Beijing would only push the two leaders together if its own interests were protected.