Trump casts doubt on possible Kim meeting during China trip

President Donald Trump said Monday he was uncertain whether he would meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his planned trip to China in November, according to The Korea Times. He said he did not know whether anyone had requested a meeting.

The remarks leave a possible resumption of face-to-face diplomacy uncertain after Trump expressed hope in August that he would meet Kim later in the year. The State Department said he remains willing to engage North Korea when it serves U.S. national interests.

Trump addressed the possibility of a meeting while taking a reporter’s question at the White House, The Korea Times reported. His response centered on uncertainty over whether a meeting had been requested.

He plans to travel to Shenzhen, China, for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit scheduled for Nov. 18-19, according to the report. The question concerned whether he might see Kim during that visit.

Despite his uncertainty about a meeting, Trump emphasized his personal rapport with the North Korean leader. He described their relationship as good, the newspaper reported.

Trump and Kim previously met in Singapore in June 2018, in Hanoi in February 2019 and in the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom. The report cited those three encounters as the backdrop to the prospect of another meeting.

State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said Trump was open to engaging North Korea if it advanced U.S. national interests, according to The Korea Times. Trump’s remarks at the White House did not establish whether another meeting would take place.