Washington Free Beacon editor in chief Matthew Continetti on Sunday argued the United States can't overlook China's role in the negotiations with North Korea.
"Meet the Press" host Chuck Todd noted how it appeared President Donald Trump was making progress with North Korea until North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un met with Chinese President Xi Jinping for a second time. Continetti said that meeting marked a change.
"We can't overlook China's role in all of this. The second meeting between Kim and Xi Jinping took place around the time the three hostages were released, which was a sign of progress and de-escalation," Continetti said.
Todd also said the breakdown in negotiations appears to be connected with the U.S. trade talks with China. NBC reporter Andrea Mitchell agreed, saying the Chinese wants to slow down talks because they are not at the negotiating table.
Continetti said Kim's negotiating tactics have changed since a meeting with Chinese leaders.
"Ever since that meeting, up to this past week, the North Koreans became much more belligerent in their tone, much more insistent they would not be giving up the weapons at all, and then began attacking Bolton and, of course, Vice President Pence in addition to being non-responsive," Continetti said.
"Trump has this tendency to want to personalize relationships between states, but at the end of the day he always runs up against the wall that there are power dynamics between the great powers, such as the United States and China, that may prevent a settlement in North Korea," he added.
Continetti wrote a column which outlined how North Korea is just a part of the challenge in confronting China.
Until recently, the prospects of a summit were high. Experiencing the consequences of debilitating sanctions under President Trump's "maximum pressure" campaign, Kim Jong Un signaled a new openness. North and South Koreans marched together in the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics. Kim pledged to suspend missile testing and destroy an already-disabled nuclear facility in advance of talks. And most important, at the beginning of May, Kim freed three American hostages in what Trump would describe as a "beautiful gesture" that "was very much appreciated."
Then the turn came.
In early May, around the same time the hostages were released, Kim flew to Dalian, China, where he met for two days with Xi Jinping. We don't know what the Chinese dictator and Kim said to each other. But we do know that, by the end of the meeting, the North Korean tyrant was backing away from his gestures of conciliation. The two governments issued a statement saying North Korea was open to giving up its nuclear weapons "as relevant parties eliminate the hostile policy and security threats" against its government. And in the weeks that followed, North Korea became increasingly belligerent, antagonistic toward key Trump officials, and, according to Mike Pompeo, uncommunicative.
Last week, Trump sent Kim a letter stating that he his canceling the June 12 summit in Singapore, where the U.S. hoped to strike a deal in which North Korea agreed to denuclearize in exchange for sanctions relief and other potential benefits. Trump cited recent belligerent rhetoric from a senior North Korean official as his reason for canceling, and called the development a "missed opportunity" and a "truly sad moment in history."
Trump left open the possibility of a meeting between the two leaders.