DPRK talks can yield payoffs if all engage with sincerity: China Daily editorial

Kim Jongun's visit to Beijing this week for talks with President Xi Jinping has raised hopes that the planned upcoming series of meetings will produce meaningful outcomes, as the top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea pledged his commitment to denuclearization, which is the ultimate goal of all the other stakeholders in the issue, including China.

The fruitful results of the meeting between Xi and Kim have been widely recognized by the international community, with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcoming the meeting, and US President Donald Trump saying in a tweet that he had been informed by Xi on Tuesday night that the meeting with Kim "went very well" and that Kim looked forward to meeting the US president. A meeting between the two leaders is reportedly in the works for sometime in May, although the time and place have not yet been announced.

After Kim concluded his visit to Beijing, Republic of Korea officials did confirm on Thursday that a meeting between ROK President Moon Jae-in and Kim is to be held on April 27 in the border truce village of Panmunjom. And Japan has reportedly also sounded out the DPRK about a bilateral summit.

Such meetings were inconceivable just a few months ago.

Needless to say, Beijing has been playing its part in realizing and sustaining the positive momentum, as Xi's invitation to Kim shows. But the welcome conciliation that has been achieved must now be cherished and nurtured. At this critical juncture, all the parties concerned should refrain from doing or saying anything that may shatter what is likely a fragile détente, given the suspicions and mistrust that have prevailed in the past. These will need to be assuaged if the opportunities presented by dialogue are to yield anything of substance.

That will require all concerned to show political wisdom, diplomatic flexibility and strategic patience, since the complex knot of history will not be easily unraveled. The stakes could not be higher, and the future will not judge kindly those who are insincere in their efforts to secure a peaceful resolution.

Those involved should also bear in mind that previously wasted opportunities led to the confrontational impasse from which all now hope to emerge unscathed.

It is our hope that the seeds of reconciliation that have been sown can be tended and bear fruit. China is willing to join hands with all parties to make such a prospect come true, and it hopes joint efforts will be made by all to nourish the tender buds of friendlier relations that have emerged this spring.