Opinion | China on edge after Trump makes overtures to North Korea and Iran

Name: North Korea launches new hypersonic missile test ahead of Trump’s return to White House
Uploaded: 2025-02-11T11:39:39.000Z
Duration: 1 min 34 s
Description: North Korea launches new hypersonic missile test ahead of Trump’s return to White House

Latest gambits are not likely to be received well in Beijing, which sees Pyongyang as a buffer against South Korea and Japan

Reading Time:3 minutes

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Since inauguration US President Donald Trump said of Kim Jong-un: “He is a nuclear power. We got along. I think he will be happy to see me coming back”. Photo: AP

Shi Jiangtao

Published: 7:39pm, 11 Feb 2025Updated: 8:10pm, 11 Feb 2025

In his first weeks back in office, US President Donald Trump has made controversial overtures to North Korea and Iran, signalling an intention to reopen doors to diplomacy and reengagement with two of America’s foremost enemies.

While it remains to be seen how successfully this more confident Trump can tilt the geopolitical balance with his signature style of personal diplomacy, his attempts to reset ties with Tehran and Pyongyang – both close allies of China – have put Beijing on alert.

During the president’s first TV interview with Fox News hours after his inauguration on January 20, Trump referred to Pyongyang as a nuclear power for the first time and said he would again reach out to leader Kim Jong-un.

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North Korea launches new hypersonic missile test ahead of Trump’s return to White House

Although he reaffirmed the US’ approach to seek “complete denuclearisation of North Korea” after a White House meeting with Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Friday, Trump’s early remarks exacerbated concerns about a possible policy shift of his second administration in Pyongyang’s favour.

Then last week, he called for a “verified nuclear peace agreement” that would allow Iran to “peacefully grow and prosper”, saying such talks should start “immediately”.

“I want Iran to be a great and successful Country, but one that cannot have a Nuclear Weapon,” he said early on Wednesday on his Truth Social platform.

His remarks came a day after he signed an order reinstating the “maximum pressure” policy against Iran over the latter’s nuclear ambitions ahead of a meeting with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The surprising conciliatory tone may not be a total surprise coming from the reelected president, who boasts of his deal-making abilities and was known for flip-flops on major foreign policy issues during his first term.