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What do North Korea's neighbors want from Trump

When U.S. President Donald Trump announced in March that he would meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the news set off a flurry of diplomacy -- not only between Washington and Pyongyang, but also throughout Asia.

China, South Korea, Japan and Russia -- neighbors with a vested interest in the outcome of any Trump-Kim talks -- have been jockeying for influence, meeting with senior North Korean leaders and among themselves to promote their own hopes for what happens in Singapore.

SOUTH KOREA

South Korean President Moon Jae-in met with Kim at a historic summit in April in Panmunjom, located in the demilitarized zone (DMZ) that has divided North and South Korea since the Korean War ended in 1953 with an armistice agreement.

Moon has long advocated dialogue as the best option for resolving the tense stand-off over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program. During their summit, Seoul and Pyongyang declared their commitment to "a new era of national reconciliation, peace and prosperity" and "the common goal of realizing, through complete denuclearization, a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula."

With the U.S. being a guarantor of South Korean security, and the main driver of sanctions on North Korea, the Trump-Kim meeting could bring the attainment of these goals one step closer.

CHINA

China, arguably Pyongyang's closest ally and main trading partner, has long advocated for talks between the U.S. and North Korea.

As recently as Saturday, Beijing praised the renewed preparations for a Kim-Trump summit. China is "happy" for the possibility of the summit, which it sees as "crucial to denuclearization and lasting peace on the peninsula," the Foreign Ministry said.

China's security is directly related to North Korea's, as the two countries share a border. Beijing wants to avoid the collapse of the Kim regime, which could bring a U.S. ally to its borders and drive thousands of North Korean refugees into China.

The Chinese government sought a major role in the peace talks by hosting Kim twice in the past three months. Kim first visited Beijing in March -- his first known trip abroad in seven years of power -- and then met again with Chinese President Xi Jinping in May in the north-eastern city of Dalian.

Xi on that occasion praised Kim for building up momentum for regional peace talks. Xi said China supports North Korea's "strategic focus on economic development."

Kim, Trump traveling to Singapore 2018-06-10 10:31  |  North Korea NK, US leaders may have multiple summits 2018-06-05 18:43  |  North Korea Trump, Kim to meet 10 a.m. June 12 in Singapore [VIDEO] 2018-06-05 09:49  |  North Korea Why Kim Jong-un shakes up top military brass ahead of Trump meeting? 2018-06-04 15:41  |  North Korea Observers believe that if international sanctions against North Korea were to be lifted, China would be one of the main actors to help rebuild the North's economy.

JAPAN

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, grilled by opposition parties over cronyism scandals, has been desperate to resolve the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea decades ago.

Tokyo says Pyongyang kidnapped at least 17 Japanese in the 1970s and 1980s to teach Japanese language and culture to North Korean agents. Five of the 17 were returned alive to Japan in 2002. North Korea said eight others died and has denied the other four ever entered the country.

Pyongyang has said the issue has been resolved and blames "reactionaries" in Japan for "hyping" the issue. It is not clear whether abductions will be on Trump and Kim's agenda.

Abe, who gained popularity by bashing Pyongyang over the abduction issue, said in a speech on Saturday: "Japan is determined to make utmost efforts so that it will be a historic summit that will move forward the nuclear, missile and abduction issues."

Peace on a denuclearized Korean Peninusla would bring Japan peace of mind: North Korea conducted a nuclear test in September and test-fired nearly two dozen missiles last year, some of which flew over Japan's main island.

RUSSIA

Russia is pursuing increased economic collaboration with North Korea and has offered close support to the country in efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula so that sanctions against the North can be removed.

Russia shares a border with North Korea and has relatively close diplomatic relations with the insular communist state. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with Kim last week, and a meeting between Kim and President Vladimir Putin is now on the cards.

Lavrov told reporters in North Korea that Russia confirms its "commitment to the closest collaboration with North Korea for solving all bilateral and international tasks."

In support of North Korea, Lavrov said after a meeting with counterpart Ri Yong Ho that Russia assumes North Korea will not end its nuclear programme without the complete removal of the sanctions.

Lavrov said the intensification of contacts between North Korea and Russia reflects their leaders' eagerness to broaden collaboration in many areas.

Russia and North Korea are considering increasing trade and strengthening collaboration in humanitarian, cultural and educational spheres, Lavrov told Ri, according to a transcript of his opening remarks at the ministerial-level meeting. (dpa)