Kim Min-seok told reporters in the United States that Trump raised the possibility of meeting Kim Jong Un during a potential trip to China later this year or at another time, adding that the timing was uncertain but dialogue itself remained important.“Meeting (Kim Jong Un) would be good.

It’s really good to meet,” Kim quoted Trump as saying, noting the U.S. president suggested the encounter could occur during an upcoming visit to China or at a later stage.

Washington has for decades led international efforts to dismantle North Korea’s nuclear weapons program through sanctions, diplomacy and negotiations, though these measures have produced limited results.

The Trump administration has recently pushed to revive high-level engagement with Pyongyang, with officials exploring the possibility of a summit with Kim Jong Un later this year.

Kim Min-seok said he and Trump agreed that a meeting occurring soon, potentially around the time of a visit to Beijing, would carry symbolic significance.“If it happens soon, or around the time of the China visit, that would in itself be meaningful,” Kim said.

He added that the U.S. president appeared firmly committed to maintaining some form of contact with North Korea regardless of when a summit might take place.

Trump has repeatedly indicated willingness to engage directly with Kim Jong Un. During a trip to Asia in October, he said he was “100 percent” open to meeting the North Korean leader, though Pyongyang did not immediately respond to the offer.

More recently, Kim Jong Un suggested the United States and North Korea could “get along” if Washington recognized Pyongyang’s nuclear status, a position that conflicts with long-standing U.S. policy aimed at denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula.

At the same time, North Korea has signaled skepticism toward diplomatic initiatives from Seoul, describing South Korea’s latest peace efforts as a “clumsy, deceptive farce.”

North Korea continues to advance its military capabilities while maintaining close strategic ties with Russia, developments that have raised concerns among the United States and its allies in the region.

Pyongyang has also condemned the recent U.S.-Israeli military strike on Iran, describing it as an “illegal act of aggression,” reflecting broader geopolitical tensions involving Washington and its adversaries.

The possibility of renewed talks between Washington and Pyongyang comes as regional diplomacy remains fragile, with negotiations over North Korea’s nuclear program stalled despite years of international pressure and intermittent dialogue.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the remarks during a press conference on the sidelines of China’s annual parliamentary meeting in Beijing, warning that the absence of engagement between the world’s two largest economies could deepen tensions at a time of heightened geopolitical strain. “Failure to engage between the two nations would only lead to misunderstandings and misjudgements, escalating toward confrontation and harming the world,” Wang said. His comments came as both governments prepare for a potential meeting between Xi and Trump later this month, a summit expected to address trade, security and regional tensions amid an increasingly complex global environment.

Summit preparations intensify ,Analysts say the planned meeting between the two leaders carries heightened importance as relations between Beijing and Washington face renewed scrutiny.The United States has intensified actions affecting countries with close economic and political ties to China, including Iran and Venezuela, developments that have drawn attention to Beijing’s diplomatic posture and its willingness to defend partners facing pressure from Washington. Observers say the confrontation unfolding in the Middle East and Washington’s broader geopolitical strategy are testing China’s foreign policy approach, which traditionally emphasises economic partnerships and diplomatic engagement rather than direct military involvement.Pressure on China’s foreign policyChina’s international strategy has rarely faced this level of examination in recent decades, according to Yasser Nasser, a historian at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.“In some senses it is existential in that it reveals that Chinese economic commitments or commitments to arms deals, for example, do not translate to directly confronting the U.S. or preventing interventions as, for example, it did during the Vietnam War,” Nasser said.

The evolving global environment has placed China in a complex position as it seeks to maintain relations with partners targeted by U.S. policies while avoiding direct confrontation with Washington.Diplomacy framed as stabilising forceWang used the press conference to emphasise China’s preference for diplomacy and engagement in international affairs, contrasting that approach with what he characterised as reliance on force in resolving disputes.He said sustained communication between major powers was necessary to maintain stability in the international system and warned against policies that could push the global order toward confrontation.China has repeatedly urged dialogue to address geopolitical tensions, including conflicts linked to the Middle East crisis and broader strategic competition between major powers. The expected Xi-Trump meeting is being closely watched by governments and markets worldwide as a potential indicator of how the two powers intend to manage their rivalry and cooperation across trade, security and diplomatic arenas.