U.S. President Donald Trump, left, walks with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, Thursday. AP-Yonhap
The Korean Peninsula was conspicuously sidelined from this week’s summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, with experts viewing the development both as a sign of easing tensions and a reflection of how North Korea issues have slipped down Washington’s agenda.
During their meeting in Beijing, Thursday, Trump and Xi focused heavily on trade, Taiwan and the Middle East, while publicly emphasizing the need to stabilize bilateral ties despite intensifying strategic competition.
Chinese state media later reported that the two leaders “exchanged views” on the Korean Peninsula, but neither side disclosed details or highlighted the issue in official readouts.
The muted treatment of North Korea stood in noticeable contrast to previous U.S.-China summits, where denuclearization and regional security were often framed as shared priorities.
Experts in Seoul said the shift suggests that both Washington and Beijing are currently more focused on managing immediate geopolitical flashpoints — particularly tensions over Taiwan and instability in the Middle East — than on reviving stalled diplomacy with Pyongyang.
“Ultimately, the Korean Peninsula issue means the North Korean nuclear issue,” said Chung Ku-youn, a professor of political science and diplomacy at Kangwon National University.
“But right now, even inside the United States, there is growing recognition that previous denuclearization efforts have failed. That makes the issue itself much harder to bring to the forefront.”
She added that China also appears more interested in preserving stability on the peninsula than actively pursuing rapid changes in the North Korea situation.
“From Beijing’s perspective, even a sudden breakthrough in U.S.-North Korea relations could create instability or alter the status quo on the peninsula,” Chung said. “At this summit, the bigger priority was managing U.S.-China tensions themselves.”
Source: Korea Times News
