Xi-Kim meeting affirms China's role in peace initiative

Last week's meeting between President Xi Jinping and Kim Jong-un, the top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, indicates China is playing an essential role in the settlement of the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula, according to several US analysts.

Kim paid an unofficial visit to China from March 25 to Wednesday, during which he met with Xi in Beijing.

"China's role is essential," said Jon Taylor, professor of political science at the University of St. Thomas in Houston. The visit to Beijing and the Xi-Kim meeting has "reinforced China's role as a central actor in managing security issues in Northeast Asia in general and the Korean Peninsula in particular", he said.