Beijing’s coded message of support for denuclearisation

Xi Jinping has told Kim Jong Un that he hopes the outcome of his historic meeting with Donald Trump last week can be implemented, in a coded message of support for denuclearisation.

The Chinese President held discussions with Kim during the North Korean leader’s third visit to China since March, as Beijing seeks to ensure it exerts influence over efforts to remove the nuclear threat in the Korean Peninsula and shape the future of north-east Asia.

During his visit to Beijing, Kim briefed Xi on the discussions he held with Trump at their summit in Singapore, which the Chinese leader described as an “important step toward the political solution of the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue”.

Xi said China hoped North Korea and the US could “implement well the outcomes achieved at the summit”, China’s state broadcaster CCTV reported. China would “as always play a constructive role” in that process.

Kim and the US President agreed on a vague set of objectives aimed at bringing stability to the Korean Peninsula, while Trump also pledged to end joint US-South Korea military drills — a move which would bolster China’s position in the region.

Xi “is exerting a lot of influence from behind the scenes,” said Bonnie Glaser of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies. “I expect they will talk about the path going forward and where priorities should lie.”

Deng Yuwen of the Charhar institute in Beijing, said China would be seeking to use North Korea as a bargaining chip amid heightened trade tensions between Washington and Beijing. Trump has threatened China with tariffs on US$200 billion worth of goods.

“Trump has approved potential tariffs against China, so it is time for China to play the North Korea card to deal with America. If Kim does not want to abandon his nuclear arms completely, then China will be happy to act as a broker between Pyongyang and the US.”

Chinese television showed Kim and Ri Sol Ju, his wife, being welcomed by Xi with military honours. Photos show Kim and Xi shaking hands in front of a row of Chinese and North Korean flags — a visual echo of Kim and Trump’s handshake.