The uncertain results of the Singapore Summit and the role of China

Today, Friday 6th of July, Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, has visited North Korea for trying to have a follow-up of the commitments agreed between the United States and North Korea after the historical meeting between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un, that took place on the past 12th of June in Singapore. The summit, the first one between incumbent leaders of the two countries, seems to have laid the groundwork for a possible normalization of the relation between the International Community and North Korea, after it has been deteriorated due to repeated nuclear tests conducted by Pyongyang in the last three years. The joint declaration signed by Trump and Kim, in fact, should pave the way for defusing the nuclear threat in the area and for a stabilization of the security environment in Northeast Asia.

However, nothing has been clearly defined so far and several question marks are still pending. Even if the two leaders easily agreed on the basic principles for reviving the bilateral relation, the negotiators’ task could be more complicated, as they will have to shed the light on the schedule, procedures and, above all, the required concessions from both sides to turn the political declarations into a long-lasting program. In particular, the biggest troubles in implementing the deal could come from the two issues that have been at the base of the concord between Trump and Kim: the denuclearization and the security guarantees for the North Korean leader.