Trump hopeful after Kim meets Xi
Reports that Chinese, Korean talks went well
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Wednesday there’s “a good chance” that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will “do what is right for his people and for humanity” and make moves toward peace.
In a pair of morning tweets, Mr. Trump said he received a message from Chinese President Xi Jinping that a meeting Mr. Xi had with Mr. Kim this week “went very well.”
Mr. Trump said that according to Mr. Xi, the North Korean leader “looks forward” to meeting the American president. The White House has said Mr. Trump plans to meet Mr. Kim by May amid nuclear tensions between the two nations.
Mr. Trump agreed to historic talks after South Korean officials relayed that Mr. Kim was committed to ridding the Korean Peninsula of nuclear weapons and was willing to halt nuclear and missile tests.
It remained unclear whether the administration has received a direct confirmation from North Korea about the proposed Trump-Kim summit. But as far as the administration is concerned, State Department spokesman Justin Higgins said, the messages
conveyed by Seoul and Beijing are enough confirmation to begin planning.
“North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has said he is committed to denuclearization, pledged to refrain from any further nuclear or missile tests, and understands routine joint military exercises between the Republic of Korea [South Korea] and the United States will continue,” Mr. Higgins said. “Kim also expressed his desire to meet with President Trump as soon as possible.
“In light of this, President Trump has accepted Kim Jong Un’s offer to meet in person.”
The Trump administration was initially thrown off balance when China announced Tuesday that it had held its own summit with Mr. Kim this week, according to U.S. officials and people familiar with internal diplomatic discussions. Indeed, through all these recent developments, the Trump administration has been largely relegated to reacting and catching up to Mr. Kim.
Still, Mr. Kim’s meeting with Mr. Xi — the North Korean leader’s debut as an international statesman — offered some reassurance to Washington that “denuclearization” will be up for negotiation if the first summit between American and North Korean leaders in seven decades of animosity takes place.
The secretive Beijing talks appeared aimed at improving both countries’ positions ahead of Mr. Kim’s anticipated meetings with South Korean President Moon Jae in and Mr. Trump in the coming weeks — from which China has been excluded.
While Mr. Trump has elevated expectations of what that sit- down would achieve, North Korea has yet to spell out what it wants in return for abandoning a weapons program that Mr. Kim likely views as a guarantee for the survival of his totalitarian regime.
The readout of Mr. Kim’s remarks to Mr. Xi as reported by China’s state news agency Xinhua strongly indicates Pyongyang is looking for significant American concessions.
“The issue of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula can be resolved,” Mr. Kim was quoted as saying, “if South Korea and the United States respond to our efforts with goodwill, create an atmosphere of peace and stability while taking progressive and synchronous measures for the realization of peace.”
In the meantime, Mr. Trump said, “unfortunately, maximum sanctions and pressure must be maintained at all cost!” The Trump administration has slapped sanctions on companies across the globe to punish illicit trade with North Korea.
Official reports from both countries on Wednesday depicted in effusive terms warm ties between the leaders in an effort to downplay recent tensions over Mr. Kim’s development of nuclear weapons and longrange missiles.