Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said Thursday that President Donald Trump might ask Chinese President Xi Jinping for suggestions on engaging North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during their summit in Beijing on May 14 and 15.
Campbell made the remarks at a press meeting in Washington while discussing the agenda for the Trump-Xi meeting.
“I believe that one of the topics that will likely be on the table is ... I think President Trump will ask President Xi about suggestions about engagement with Kim Jong-un,” he said. He added that Kim is now more closely tied to Russia and China and has doubled down on nuclear and missile programs, making Pyongyang less interested in talks with Washington.
A White House official told Yonhap News Agency that a meeting between Trump and Kim during the Asia trip next week is currently not on the schedule. Trump met Kim three times during his first term, most recently at the inter-Korean border in June 2019.
