The sudden resurgence of tensions between US and North Korea suggests the nations are eager to test each other as the leaders' summit draws near, believes Hu Gaochen, a doctoral student of international relations at Tsinghua University, writing for The Paper.
North Korea has felt “uncomfortable” about continuing US military pressure after it expressed a willingness to abandon its nuclear program, Hu says. But the military deterrent is a way for the US to take the upper hand in the upcoming talks, the scholar says.
Donald Trump’s remarks suggest the president is inclined to meet Kim Jong-un despite rising voices inside the US that advocate for a hawkish stance against North Korea. These voices are pushing for immediate and full denuclearization and a reduction of North Korea's conventional military capacity, according to the scholar.
But the meeting is likely to go ahead as Trump relishes the chance to make himself look like a history maker, Hu says. Therefore, the scholar says, the president is very likely to do its best to contain voices that could derail the meeting.
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