Xi Steals Trump’s Thunder With Kim Lovefest
Xi Steals Trump's Thunder With Kim Lovefest
It was the sort of moment U.S. President Donald Trump might have imagined sharing with Kim Jong Un: smiles broad, glasses full, wives looking on. Instead, the moment was Chinese President Xi Jinping’s.
The unexpected lovefest between China and North Korea shakes up a diplomatic landscape still reeling from Trump’s March 8 decision to accept a summit invitation from Kim. With his secretive swing through Beijing, first reported by Bloomberg, Kim patched up ties with a big, powerful neighbor and raised the stakes should Trump abandon talks and consider military action against his nuclear weapons program.
For Xi, the move ensures a seat at any negotiating table. It also sends a warning shot to Trump as he threatens to drag China into a trade war. Xi told Kim that China made a “strategic choice” to have friendly ties.
That doesn’t bode well for Trump if his own summit with Kim sours and he turns back to China for more sanctions help. “If you are the Trump White House right now, you’ve got to be very concerned,” said John Park, director of the Korea Working Group at Harvard Kennedy School.
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To contact the editors responsible for this story: Michael Winfrey at mwinfrey@bloomberg.net, Ruth Pollard Kathleen Hunter Karl Maier
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