▲ This AFP file photo shows U.S. President Donald Trump (R) shaking hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un after signing a joint statement at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa Island in Singapore on June 12, 2018. (Yonhap)

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 (Yonhap) -- A former U.S. official said Wednesday U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping may "talk the talk" on North Korea's denuclearization during their planned summit next week, noting that he does not expect "much new" on Pyongyang from the summit given their "diverging" interests.

The official made the remarks during a press meeting as Trump and Xi are expected to hold a summit in Washington on Sept. 24 following their previous summit in Beijing in May, where the White House said they confirmed their shared goal to denuclearize North Korea.

"Both sides will talk the talk on denuclearization, but the reality is their strategic interests are diverging. In other words, the Chinese want to pull North Korea closer, which means a little bit farther away from Russia," the official said on condition of anonymity.

"They will want to continue the sort of lack of highly provocative actions on the part of North Korea, and prevent North Korea from drifting into the U.S. orbit, whereas Trump, of course, wants to meet with Kim and do some kind of deal, which the Chinese don't support, and I don't expect much new on North Korea."

The assessment came amid questions over whether Trump and Xi will discuss North Korea's nuclear issue at a time when Pyongyang has vowed not to bargain away its nuclear program, with Trump seeking to reengage with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Xi working to enhance ties with Kim amid deepening cooperation between the North and Russia.

Last month, Trump said that he intends to meet Kim later this year despite speculation that Pyongyang might have little interest in engaging with Washington given its deepening economic, military and diplomatic cooperation with Moscow and improved ties with Beijing.

Some observers voiced concerns that as Trump seeks renewed summitry with Kim, his administration could shift its policy focus toward goals short of North Korea's denuclearization, such as arms control, tension reduction and risk management.

Amid those concerns, a White House official said earlier this month that U.S. policy on North Korea "has not changed." But the official fell short of reiterating the U.S.' commitment to the denuclearization of North Korea.

Trump held three in-person meetings with Kim during his first term: the first in Singapore in June 2018, the second in Hanoi in February 2019 and the third at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom in June 2019.

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