Faced with an increase in strategic maneuvering by Moscow and Pyongyang, Beijing will not sit idly by and allow Putin and Kim to shape the security environment on its behalf.
Despite the pageantry of the Singapore summit, the outcomes remain uncertain.
Whatever the outcome, the June 12 Trump-Kim summit will have major implications for the region’s security landscape.
Since President Trump accepted an invitation to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, he has raised expectations that North Korea might finally be willing to abandon its nuclear arsenal.
China made clear through Kim’s visit that it will not be sidelined in important conversations and developments on the future of the Korean Peninsula. Now, Xi has had the opportunity to influence the terms of any future agreement.
There is a serious risk that North Korea will use renewed dialogue tactically to drive a wedge between Washington and Seoul and to dilute the effects of recently imposed sanctions.
Tensions with North Korea have grown under the administration of President Donald Trump, and the danger of nuclear confrontation is now higher than at any time since the Cuban missile crisis.
