A flurry of diplomatic activity and a reported visit of Xi Jinping to North Korea has heightened speculation that something is afoot. Victor Cha, Tom Christensen, and Edgard Kagan join Will to discuss what these signals indicate, how relations between North Korea and China are shifting, and what a Trump-Kim meeting could achieve.


  Victor Cha and Andy Lim, “Can Sports Diplomacy Open a Door on the Korean Peninsula?” CSIS, May 4, 2026.

  Edgard Kagan, “Trump-Xi Summit in Beijing: Managing the World’s Most Important Relationship,” CSIS, May 8, 2026.

State of Play

Center for Strategic and International Studies

Is Something Big About to Happen with North Korea?

MAY 29, 202634 MIN
State of Play

Is Something Big About to Happen with North Korea?

MAY 29, 202634 MIN

Description

A flurry of diplomatic activity and a reported visit of Xi Jinping to North Korea has heightened speculation that something is afoot. Victor Cha, Tom Christensen, and Edgard Kagan join Will to discuss what these signals indicate, how relations between North Korea and China are shifting, and what a Trump-Kim meeting could achieve. Victor Cha and Andy Lim, “Can Sports Diplomacy Open a Door on the Korean Peninsula?” CSIS, May 4, 2026. Edgard Kagan, “Trump-Xi Summit in Beijing: Managing the World’s Most Important Relationship,” CSIS, May 8, 2026.