Xi-Kim meeting affirms China’s role in peace initiative

Beijing: Last week’s meeting between President Xi Jinping and Kim Jong-un, the top leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, indicates China is playing an essential role in the settlement of the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula, according to several US analysts.

Mr Kim paid an unofficial visit to China from March 25 to Wednesday, during which he met with Mr Xi in Beijing.

“China’s role is essential,” said Jon Taylor, professor of political science at the University of St. Thomas in Houston.

“The visit to Beijing and the Xi-Kim meeting has “reinforced China’s role as a central actor in managing security issues in Northeast Asia in general and the Korean Peninsula in particular”, he said.

During their Beijing meeting, Mr Xi said China will continue to play a constructive role on the issue and work with all parties, including the DPRK, toward a thaw of the situation on the peninsula.

Mr Kim said it is his country’s “consistent stand to be committed to denuclearisation on the peninsula” and the DPRK is willing to have a dialogue with the United States and hold a summit between the two countries.

The Xi-Kim meeting is expected to be followed by a flurry of other talks, such as the lateApril summit between Kim and President Moon Jae-in of the Republic of Korea.

These are “quite relevant” to the summit between US President Donald Trump and Kim in May, according to Taylor, who writes about China.