China startled by Trump's hotline to Kim

Beijing's tug of war with Washington now moves on to Taiwan

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A direct line to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un alters the equation of U.S. President Donald Trump's diplomacy with the reclusive state.

KATSUJI NAKAZAWA, Nikkei senior staff writer

SINGAPORE -- At first glance, the historic June 12 summit here looked as if it ended with U.S. President Donald Trump making one-sided concessions to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Indeed, the joint statement contained no mention of how to verify the North's denuclearization. Trump went so far as to say he would cancel joint military exercises with South Korea. China, as Pyongyang's patron, also looked like it came out of the meeting as a "winner."

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