China hails Kim-Trump summit progress
Singapore is a location acceptable for both sides: expert
China welcomes the latest progress for the planned summit between leaders of the US and North Korea, and experts said that Singapore is an acceptable options for the two sides.
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday through his Twitter account that he had high hopes of “doing something very meaningful” to curtail North Korea’s nuclear ambitions at a summit in Singapore on June 12, after Pyongyang smoothed the way for talks by freeing three American prisoners.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said at Friday’s routine press conference that “China welcomes the progress that North Korea and the US achieved and we hope the meeting [in Singapore] will achieve positive results, to make a crucial step for pushing the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the political settlement for the peninsula issue, and the permanent peace and stability for the region.”
Trump made the announcement after a US aircraft touched down at Joint Base Andrews near Washington carrying the Americans released by North Korea in a move to clear the way for the bilateral summit, Reuters reported.
The historic meeting between Trump and North Korea leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore next month is a significant step on the path to peace, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Friday on his Twitter account, adding that “May it lead to a successful outcome.”
Singapore is a country acceptable for Pyongyang and Washington, Yang Xiyu, a senior research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies in Beijing, told the Global Times. “Singapore is a neutral country, but it also has close political and military ties with the US, and at the same time, North Korea has no conflict with Singapore as well.”
“Technically, both countries need supports from their local embassies, and North Korea has 47 embassies around the globe including Singapore,” Yang added.
Singapore is willing to play such role of mediator in the history, said Lü Chao, a research fellow at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences.