On Sunday, US President Donald Trump had a brief meeting with the leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea Kim Jong-un in the Demilitarized Zone between the DPRK and the Republic of Korea.

He also crossed the 38th Parallel into the DPRK to have a photo taken with Kim, thus becoming the first US president in office to enter the DPRK. This sudden and short summit between the leaders of the United States and the DPRK produced no outcome documents such as a joint statement or an agreement, so what was the significance of this meeting? What messages did it convey?

Despite the failure of their summit in Hanoi earlier this year, both leaders have kept their will on continued dialogue and a good relationship. For Trump, achieving something great in the denuclearization of the DPRK would be an important historical legacy that distinguishes him from his predecessors, as well as important political capital for him in the impending presidential election. Thus Trump has felt compelled to carry on with his push for denuclearization of the DPRK.

As for Kim, young leader though he is, he has led the DPRK in making great achievements in nuclear deterrence and brought it onto the world stage. His next major goal is developing the country's economy and improving people's livelihoods. For this purpose, the DPRK's national policy has already undergone major adjustments for better relations with the US, since it is clear that improving the overall external environment of the DPRK is an important prerequisite for achieving this goal. Besides, Kim Jong-un himself also keenly feels the need for progress in denuclearization. However, although it had been an opportunity for a significant achievement, the summit in Hanoi ended in failure. It disappointed both Trump and Kim. Nevertheless, the two have maintained a friendly attitude and good relations with each other, and have been exchanging views about their goals, maintaining goodwill.

So they took the opportunity to meet again in a dramatic way to try and create a breakthrough in their relations.

Why was this meeting held in the DMZ between the two Koreas instead of in a third country as before? The first reason is that there was not enough time to make comprehensive and elaborate diplomatic arrangements. Holding it in the DMZ helped to avoid complicated diplomatic operations. Second, using the chance given by the G20 summit to meet Kim nearby instead of coming all the way from US for a specially arranged meeting meant Trump did not face the barrage of criticism and objections at home as he did before their previous two summits. The third reason, is the impromptu meeting was bound to create a media sensation, which naturally appealed to Trump as he pursues a distinctive self-image.

But one should not dismiss the summit as simply a media stunt, the messages delivered by the summit were important. While it is true it was a public show, and it lasted only around 50 minutes including the time taken for interpretation, which meant there was very limited time for discussing substantial details, and indeed no substantive results were announced after the meeting, that does not mean the meeting was insignificant or had no effect. On the contrary this summit has delivered to the public some important messages:

First of all, the summit means Trump and Kim have further stabilized their personal relationship, which is very important for relations between the US and the DPRK, which have hitherto been characterized by mistrust and volatility. Their good rapport means that in the face of difficulties, the two top leaders can directly contact each other and communicate to guarantee negotiations over the denuclearization and the improvement of bilateral relations.

Second, Trump has lowered his expectations of the denuclearization progress. This is crucial for the next step in the US-DPRK negotiations. By communicating directly with Kim Jong-un rather than via the negotiating team, he can get the real intentions of the DPRK. Trump clearly has his own judgment on the issue. After meeting directly with Kim, Trump has realized that denuclearization is a long-term process. He once said, we have time, there is no hurry, which indicates that he has adjusted his goals and lowered expectations. This is very crucial for the progress of denuclearization.

Finally, the change in chief negotiator on the US side is also significant for its future negotiations with the DPRK. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's replacement by Stephen Biegun after the summit in Hanoi is undoubtedly understood to be Trump's response to the strong request from the DPRK, for Pompeo, who had been a bureaucrat with a background in the CIA and is known to bear a deep-rooted hostility toward the DPRK, not to be the point man.

In leading the team to negotiate with the DPRK, he had not advanced the negotiation process as Trump hoped, but had tried every means to make things hard for the DPRK, naturally resulting in the DPRK's strong resentment, and eventually the failure of the Hanoi Summit.

After this summit in the DMZ, Trump has accepted Kim's opinions and made the replacement, which may bring a breakthrough for future negotiations on the issue of denuclearization.

The author is deputy director of the Institute of World Economy and Politics at China Academy of Social Sciences.

The author contributed this article to China Watch exclusively. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of China Watch.

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