“It’s going to undermine the Trump administration’s effort to build solidarity among the U.S., Japan, and Korea to put pressure not only on North Korea, but on China to do more on North Korea,” said Michael J. In restoring better relations with South Korea, Mr. Xi appeared to have decided that he could afford to blink. In warming up to South Korea, Mr. Xi probably recognized that Mr. PhotoIndeed, the rapprochement between China and South Korea carries risks for the United States. China is by far the biggest trading partner of South Korea; two-way trade is bigger than South Korea’s trade with the United States and Japan combined.

Source: New York Times November 01, 2017 14:15 UTC