The specter of a U.S.-China trade war should not distract us from paying critical attention to what Beijing might have gained from the recent summit in Singapore on North Korea’s denuclearization. In fact, China is positioning itself to reap diplomatic dividends from what promises to be a long road to denuclearize North Korea.

For the agreement to succeed, the US and its allies must build mutual trust with Kim Jong-un and not dwell on their differences.

How will disarmament and peace on the Korean peninsula be facilitated?

The Singapore summit was a good step forward, but a lot of questions remain.

Pompeo's remarks in Beijing.

For a successful summit, both sides need to put themselves in the other's shoes.

The US must address the root causes of the North Korean problem – its security paranoia – to make a successful nuclear deal.

Ahead of the Trump-Kim summit, there is disagreement between the two parties on how denuclearization should be carried out — in progressive phases, or in a complete and irreversible dismantling of the program. The Center for International Security and Cooperation released a proposal for a three-phase “roadmap” to denuclearization, advocating for a risk management approach to the denuclearization process.

While China may not have the power to bring North Korea and the United States together for talks, Beijing’s role in a lasting peace agreement cannot be understated. If President Trump is not attentive to China’s priorities on the Korean Peninsula, he will not get far with the North Korean regime in negotiations.

With North Korea enjoying an improvement in its international environment, especially warming relations with China, it feels that the time has come to push back against the US.