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Opinion | If the US military withdraws from Korea, China will be a big loser
Michael Heng says while Beijing has good reason to be wary of American hegemony in the region, it must realise that a US military withdrawal would encourage unwanted developments – nuclear-armed neighbours in a unified Korea and Japan
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Why you can trust SCMP
The Kim-Trump summit in Singapore has reduced the danger of armed conflict on the Korean peninsula. It is good for peace in the near future and it calms stock markets.
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At the same time, it is a big media event for Kim Jong-un. It will no doubt boost his international standing and strengthen his position at home. North Korea is the biggest winner, thanks to the calculating Kim and the disappointing Donald Trump. The immediate gain is the likely relaxation of economic sanctions against the country.
Other than these two points, one has to fall back on faith in Trump’s instinct that North Korea is earnest about denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula. He seems to have taken a sudden liking to Kim, someone he described as a “madman” after the death of American student Otto Warmbier, who was imprisoned during a visit to North Korea.
Somehow, Trump has forgotten that, in politics, interests are more decisive than personal relationships. But that is understandable, as he is more a showman than a politician.
The joint declaration merely reaffirms the same commitment to denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula that North Korea has repeatedly made since 1992.
Watch: What’s in the Trump-Kim agreement
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