Is Vietnam a new stakeholder on Korean Peninsula?

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01:21

As the second meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and the DPRK leader Kim Jong Un will take place in Hanoi, Vietnam, by the end of February, Hanoi, Washington, and Pyongyang have seen frequent communications these days, with Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh just wrapping up his three-day visit to the DPRK on Thursday.

Joseph Kim, a CGTN correspondent in Seoul, stated that Pham's visit to Pyongyang marks an important step for something that has been happening for quite some time. He was referring to the DPRK's intention to adopt an economic and political system similar to Vietnam's.

“We know that there are certain comparable aspects of Vietnam's economy to the DPRK's. We know that the DPRK wants a one-party top-down system. We know that they have a commitment to improving the economy,” Joseph Kim said, adding that “they [Vietnam] can now play another role in these talks between the United States and the DPRK.”

Speaking of the “Vietnam model,” Teng Jianqun, Director of the Center of Arms Control at the China Institute of International Studies, drew parallels between China's reform and opening-up and Vietnam's economic reform.

Since their normalization of ties with other countries, both China and Vietnam have seen a friendlier international environment. But the DPRK, as Teng pointed out, is not seeing a good international environment at the current stage.

Richard Weitz, Director of the Center for Political-Military Analysis at the Hudson Institute, added that while Pyongyang improved relations with many countries including China last year, there are still challenges in China-DPRK relations.

“I would think that a visit by [Chinese] President Xi Jinping to Pyongyang will occur at some point,” Weitz told CGTN.

00:59

Joseph Kim mentioned the ROK's role as a mediator in U.S.-DPRK talks. The ROK has facilitated some inter-Korean projects to help denuclearization but this might come as a conflict to the ties between Washington and Seoul.

With Vietnam playing a more active role, the group of stakeholders on the Korean Peninsula issue is expanding. Yet the prospect of denuclearization and the future of the DPRK remain unclear.

(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us opinions@cgtn.com.)