China may not block U.S.-N.K. diplomacy, but unlikely to play central role: ex-U.S. diplomat

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WASHINGTON, Sept. 17 (Yonhap) -- China may not block the resumption of diplomacy between the United States and North Korea but is unlikely to play a "central" role in their reengagement, a former senior U.S. diplomat said Thursday, ahead of the upcoming summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Daniel Kritenbrink, who served as assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific Affairs from 2021-25, made the comment in response to written questions from Yonhap News Agency, noting that Beijing will be "suspicious" of any significant thaw in the Washington-Pyongyang relations.

Trump and Xi are expected to have a summit in Washington, D.C., next Thursday, while Trump has expressed his intention to reengage with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un later this year.

"I would not expect China to block U.S.-DPRK diplomacy, and it may take certain limited steps to support it," Kritenbrink, now a partner at The Asia Group, a strategic advisory firm, said. DPRK stands for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"But Beijing will also be suspicious of any significant thaw in Washington-Pyongyang relations, so I would not expect China to be central to such diplomacy, if it does occur," he added.

This file photo, released by Reuters, shows U.S. President Donald Trump (L) and Chinese President Xi Jinping reacting as they hold a bilateral meeting at Gimhae International Airport, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, in Busan, South Korea, on Oct. 30, 2025. (Yonhap)

The former diplomat said that China may welcome diplomacy between the U.S. and the North "to the extent it furthers stability on the Korean Peninsula," as the Asian major power has pursued a stable external environment on its periphery.

"But Beijing will also be suspicious of any Washington-Pyongyang rapprochement, so I would expect President Xi to remain cautious on the matter," he said.

Asked if Trump would seek Xi's help in his efforts to resume talks with Kim, Kritenbrink said that Trump may ask for China's "general" support, noting that he is not convinced that Trump needs Xi's help.

He expected Trump and Xi to discuss North Korea during their upcoming summit but expressed skepticism that there would be "significant areas of agreement."

Asked whether the two leaders would reaffirm their shared goal of North Korea's denuclearization, Kritenbrink said that he would not expect either side to change its longstanding positions on denuclearization.

"But as in Beijing, how both sides describe their positions publicly may differ," he pointed out.

Doubts have arisen over whether Trump and Xi would reiterate their commitment to the North's denuclearization, a sensitive issue for Pyongyang, as China apparently seeks to pull the North away from Russia amid deepening Pyongyang-Moscow alignment and Trump seeks to restart diplomacy with Kim.

Despite the reemerging prospects for dialogue between the U.S. and the North, Kritenbrink cast doubt over whether the recalcitrant regime is interested in it.

"What I can't tell is whether the DPRK has any interest in doing so, but I am somewhat skeptical, given Kim Jong-un's experience in the first Trump Administration, and the level of support he is now receiving from Russia and China," he said.

Last month, Trump said that he expects to have a meeting with Kim later this year, adding to speculation that he would resume his personal diplomacy with Kim, which led to three bilateral meetings: the first in Singapore in June 2018, the second in Hanoi in February 2019 and the last at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom in June 2019.

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China may not block U.S.-N.K. diplomacy, but unlikely to play central role: ex-U.S. diplomat

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华盛顿，9月17日（韩联社）——一位美国前高级外交官周四表示，中国可能不会阻止美国和朝鲜恢复外交关系，但不太可能在两国重新接触中发挥“核心”作用。此前，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普和中国国家主席习近平即将举行峰会。

曾于 2021 年至 2025 年担任美国助理国务卿（主管东亚和太平洋事务）的丹尼尔·克里滕布林克在回复韩联社的书面提问时发表了上述评论，他指出，北京会对华盛顿和平壤关系的任何重大解冻都抱有“怀疑”。

预计特朗普和习近平将于下周四在华盛顿特区举行峰会，而特朗普已表示有意在今年晚些时候与朝鲜领导人金正恩重新接触。

“我不认为中国会阻挠美朝外交，反而可能会采取一些有限的措施来支持美朝外交，”克里滕布林克说道。他目前是战略咨询公司亚洲集团的合伙人。朝鲜民主主义人民共和国是朝鲜的正式国名。

“但北京也会对华盛顿和平壤关系的任何重大解冻持怀疑态度，因此，如果真的出现这种情况，我不认为中国会在这种外交中扮演核心角色，”他补充道。

这张由路透社发布的资料照片显示，2025年10月30日，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普（左）和中国国家主席习近平在韩国釜山金海国际机场举行双边会晤，当时正值亚太经合组织峰会期间。（韩联社）

这位前外交官表示，如果美朝之间的外交能够“促进朝鲜半岛的稳定”，那么中国可能会欢迎这种外交努力，因为这个亚洲大国一直在其周边地区寻求稳定的外部环境。

“但北京方面也会对华盛顿和平壤之间的任何和解抱有怀疑，所以我预计习近平主席在这个问题上仍会保持谨慎，”他说。

当被问及特朗普是否会在与金正恩恢复对话的努力中寻求习近平的帮助时，克里滕布林克表示，特朗普可能会寻求中国的“总体”支持，并指出他不认为特朗普需要习近平的帮助。

他预计特朗普和习近平将在即将举行的峰会上讨论朝鲜问题，但他对双方能否达成“重大共识”表示怀疑。

当被问及两位领导人是否会重申朝鲜无核化的共同目标时，克里滕布林克表示，他不认为任何一方会改变其在无核化问题上的长期立场。

“但就像在北京一样，双方公开描述各自立场的方式可能会有所不同，”他指出。

人们开始怀疑特朗普和习近平是否会重申他们对朝鲜无核化的承诺，这对平壤来说是一个敏感问题，因为中国显然正在寻求将朝鲜从俄罗斯拉开，而平壤和莫斯科的联盟也在不断加深，特朗普则寻求重启与金正恩的外交关系。

尽管美国和朝鲜之间重新出现了对话的前景，但克里滕布林克对顽固的朝鲜政权是否对此感兴趣表示怀疑。

“我无法判断朝鲜是否有此意愿，但考虑到金正恩在特朗普第一届政府的经历，以及他现在从俄罗斯和中国获得的支持程度，我对此持怀疑态度，”他说。

上个月，特朗普表示，他预计将在今年晚些时候与金正恩会面，这加剧了人们对他将恢复与金正恩的私人外交的猜测。此前，两人已举行了三次双边会晤：第一次是 2018 年 6 月在新加坡，第二次是 2019 年 2 月在河内，最后一次是 2019 年 6 月在朝韩边境的板门店。

sshluck@yna.co.kr（完）

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