Kim, Trump express hope, confidence in talks' success

Wang Junsheng, an international relations expert with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, expressed his optimism about the second summit and said that given the DPRK's announcement that it would shift its strategic focus to economic development, the country will likely make concessions on giving up its nuclear weapons during this summit in exchange for the lifting of sanctions and the declaration of the end of the war.

Wang said denuclearization is an irreversible trend.

But Jenny Town, a research analyst at the Stimson Center in Washington, worried that it will be difficult for the two leaders to generate a specific road map and schedule for denuclearization at a single summit.

Also on Wednesday, the Republic of Korea's presidential Blue House spokesman said, "Whatever concessions Trump and Kim may make at their upcoming summit will be significant as they will mean further progress toward the complete denuclearization of Pyongyang."

Trump met separately with Vietnamese President Nguyen Phu Trong and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc earlier on Wednesday. Kim is likely to meet the Vietnamese leaders during his two-day "official goodwill" visit after the summit with Trump, given the local media reports saying Kim would leave the country on Saturday.

Contact the writers at panmengqi@chinadaily.com.cn