Can Trump and Kim pull it off?

Pictures of an armored train from North Korea, which has been used by Kim Jong-il, father of the present President Kim Jong Un, pulling into Beijing station, were on news channels for the last few days. Police motorcade with no flags led to speculation that Kim Jong Un was visiting China for his first foreign visit since he became leader of North Korea in 2011. China confirmed his visit only after his train had left Chinese territory and was back within North Korea. Why this sudden visit? It all started earlier this year when North Korea was invited to attend the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang by the South Korean President Moon Jae-in. This was followed by a South Korean delegation to Pyongyang which met Kim and arranged a meeting with US President Donald Trump sometime in May. Naturally Kim could not meet with Trump without consulting Beijing which is its only ally and economic lifeline. Donald Trump has been very aggressive against North Korea and imposed tough sanctions which must be beginning to bite. It is in Kim's interest to make friends with the US, but the meeting is fraught with danger, wrote Prof WPS Sidhu. If the meeting fails it could result in a dangerous escalation, with North Korea resuming its nuclear tests and a possibility of US military action. "They know the meeting is very important but also very risky, there are a lot of uncertainties," said Tong Zhao, an expert on North Korea. "If the meeting fails the US could declare that diplomacy has failed and shift to a more coercive approach or even a military strike. A stable and positive relationship with China would prevent the US from launching a military strike." After Kim's visit China said that he has promised denuclearization. When China says denuclearization it means that the Korean peninsula should become a nuclear free zone, which means a withdrawal of US arms. That would give China complete control of the Sea of Japan because South Korea, Japan and Taiwan do not possess nuclear weapons, but China does. What if Kim Jong Un is looking for a way to unite with South Korea with guarantees for his family and regime? asked Prof K Bajpai. In that case he would be afraid of an attack by China because China would not want US forces sitting right across its border. It is not as fanciful as it sounds. No one ever thought that West Germany would reunite with the East, until it happened, and members of the former Comecon would go on to become members of NATO. Can Kim Jong Un pull it off in secret during his meeting with Trump? We hope so. Will China attack if that happens? May they live in interesting times.