On December 7, Ri Yong Ho, foreign minister of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), visited China and was received by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Both sides emphasized the importance of further enhancing bilateral relations, including celebrating the 70th anniversary of the establishment of China-DPRK diplomatic relations next year. Meanwhile, Ri reaffirmed that the DPRK is committed to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

There have been some major breakthroughs regarding the denuclearization process on the Peninsula in 2018 and the negotiations are at a critical juncture thanks to the frequent meetings between all the relevant stakeholders.

Ri's visit has maintained the positive momentum in the development of a stable and peaceful peninsula. First of all, this visit is in line with the DPRK-ROK summit in April, the U.S.-DPRK summit in June and the consensus reached at both meetings. Ri reiterated that the DPRK's commitment to denuclearization is also conducive to a good interaction with the United States and the ROK.  

The ROK plans to invite the DPRK leader to Seoul this year. U.S. President Donald Trump also told the media that he may meet with DPRK leader Kim Jong Un early next year and is considering inviting him to visit the United States in the future.

The hawkish U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton seems have also softened his position on the DPRK, stating that if it delivers the "performance" that's been agreed on the Trump-Kim summit, the U.S. would look at removing the economic sanctions. This showed that both sides are closely following up on the summit results and hopefully more tangible achievements to be made soon.

Therefore, negotiations between the U.S. and the DPRK are likely to progress, and the possibility of holding a second U.S.-DPRK summit is high. In order to prepare for the summit with the U.S. and the ROK, the DPRK should keep pushing the negotiation agenda on denuclearization issues with the U.S.

Currently, there is still a trust gap between the U.S. and the DPRK. To bridge the gap, a possible mediator between relevant parties may be necessary. 

In the first half of 2018, DPRK leaders communicated closely with China before holding summits with the ROK and the U.S. China firmly supports DPRK's proposal of a phased and synchronized denuclearization and advocates that all parties involved in this process handle the issues fairly and impartially.

Ri's visit to China is part of his series of official visits. Before arriving at China he visited Vietnam and took a trip to two major industrial parks in northern Vietnam to learn about the country's reform and opening up.

To an extent, this reflects the DPRK's current strategic focus, which is to concentrate on economic development. 

The DPRK is likely to introduce more reform and opening up measures to promote domestic development. To achieve the goal, the DPRK needs to avoid the breakdown of denuclearization negotiations. The recent easing of the peninsula situation is likely to continue. 

But to ensure the smooth progress of the second U.S.-DPRK summit, the DPRK must demonstrate further denuclearization steps. 

DPRK's plan to permanently abandon the Yongbyon nuclear facility, ICBM engine test site and missile launching station proposed by the Pyongyang Declaration does not seem to be enough of a "performance" according to the U.S. the DPRK needs to move forward more, and the U.S. should try being more trusting of the DPRK to avoid the process rolling back. 

From Ri's visit to China and other recent developments, all parties seem interested in maintaining easing tensions. We can be cautiously optimistic about the Peninsula situation in the near future.