China hopes that a planned meeting between the leaders of North Korea and the United States in May can advance smoothly and that all sides maintain focus and avoid “disruptive factors”, a senior Chinese diplomat said on Tuesday. Wang said he hoped the meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump would “increase mutual understanding”. North and South Korea will hold their first summit in more than a decade on April 27, South Korea said. North Korea has said in previous, failed talks aimed at dismantling its nuclear program it could consider giving up its arsenal if the United States removed its troops from South Korea and withdrew its so-called nuclear umbrella of deterrence from South Korea and Japan. It was the first time a North Korean leader had attended a South Korean performance in the capital.

Source: Egypt Independent April 03, 2018 06:22 UTC