The North Koreans, and just as often the Chinese, are very good with words that have two meanings. If we remember the use of the term “One China” we see how that works. They simply define the term the way they want it to be, and allow others to define it their own way. They beat their own definition into every stone they see, and allow the other definitions to fade away. Taiwan is still Chinese territory by their own claim, and an independent country to most of the rest of the world - for all good that will do.
So, what is denuclearization? China and the North will try to define the term as what they want it to be - limit the discussion to nuclear weapons, declaring they will have no nuclear weapons and nobody else should be allowed to have nuclear weapons in South Korea. But that isn’t enough for the rest of the world.
Denuclearization has to include the design and development of nuclear weapons, the development of weapons grade nuclear material, the prohibition of deploying “nuclear capable” weapons systems, the use of nuclear power generation, and inspection programs that can determine whether they are existing weapons in the North.
After the photo op with the two leaders getting together there will be no agreements of any kind reached that will address all of these issues. The Chinese will use their press outlets and information control systems to praise the agreement on “denuclearization” using their own definition of the term. Then, they will go on supporting North Korea the same as they have always done. They need nuclear weapons threats from North Korea to keep the US from expanding their own military into the Pacific. If the North retains delivery systems and command and control needed to launch missiles, they don’t have to have weapons. Keeping strictly to the terms they could use chem/bio weapons. They can get nukes pretty fast from more than one source, including those Chinese companies that helped them develop the delivery systems. Nothing changes expect a few definitions.
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