In a historic diplomatic breakthrough, President Donald Trump accepted an invitation from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to meet "as soon as possible." News of the summit was announced by a senior South Korean official at the White House Thursday evening. BEIJING—U.S. President Donald Trump’s surprise agreement to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un comes as a windfall for Beijing, which has long called for direct negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang. China has grown increasingly concerned in recent months that a U.S. military strike on North Korea, or economic collapse there, could trigger a flood of refugees into northeast China, bring U.S. troops to its border, and create a unified, democratic, pro-American Korea.

Source: Wall Street Journal March 09, 2018 17:48 UTC