To back up such talk, Mr. Kim will probably carry out more weapons tests, analysts said. Mr. Xi was left merely humoring Mr. Trump by agreeing to tougher sanctions at the United Nations this past week. “I think China’s diplomatic leverage over North Korea is zero,” said Feng Zhang, a fellow at the Australian National University’s department of international relations. Moon found little leverage left over North Korea: Under his conservative predecessors, South Korea had cut off all trade ties and pulled out all investments in North Korea. China also does not want war on its border, hoping that North Korea will remain a useful Communist buffer against South Korea and its ally, the United States.

Source: New York Times September 23, 2017 12:59 UTC