The road to peace will be long and arduous.

If we’re optimistic about the outcomes from last week’s monumental inter-Korean summit, the positive overtures North Korean leader Kim Jong-un seems to be making bode well for the Korean Peninsula. In anticipation of the upcoming Trump-Kim summit, American negotiators should note that being a bit more cautious with expectations and drawing lessons from past Korean negotiating behavior could lead to lasting change on the peninsula.

On April 27, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un started to write a potential new chapter in the history of inter-Korean relations. The signing of the Panmunjeom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Unification of the Korean Peninsula has given the Korean people a new reason to be optimistic about the future.

This is the first time Kim Jong-Un, as the top leader of DPRK, has formally announced a nuclear/missile freeze, showing its sincerity to participate in denuclearization talks.

Richard Heydarian, recently returned from a trip to North Korea, argues that the Kim regime has returned to the negotiating table out of a fortuitous combination of greater confidence, mastery of the nuclear cycle, and vulnerability, as sanctions begin to undermine the economic viability of the country.

Why is the Mongolian capital now apparently at the top of the list for the Trump and Kim to meet to sort out their differences? Well, it appears that both North Korea and the United States may have very good reasons.

The ball is in Trump’s court now.

Kim Jong Un’s clear indication to denuclearize and his recent visit to China will bring spring to the peninsula.

There are many uncertainties and moving parts, but one thing is certain: Kim’s short trip to China has shaken up the strategic dynamics of East Asia.

China’s involvement in the negotiation process with North Korea and in the ultimate implementation of any agreement is essential. It will take serious effort to develop policies, organizations, and processes that simultaneously satisfy the DPRK, Beijing, and America. That just makes it more important that multilateral discussions begin on these issues.