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U.S. President Donald Trump (left) and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un converse in the northern area of the military demarcation line in Panmunjom after greeting each other on the afternoon of June 30, 2019, before moving to the southern area. / Yonhap

With the 33rd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit just a month away, attention is focusing on whether Shenzhen, China, will serve as the stage for summit diplomacy among the U.S., China, and Russia as well as dialogue between North Korea and the U.S. Amid mentions of a potential trilateral summit among the U.S., China, and Russia in addition to a bilateral U.S.-China summit, attention is also drawn to the security situation on the Korean Peninsula as U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly reaffirmed his willingness to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

According to diplomatic circles on the 18th, this year's APEC summit will be held on the 18th and 19th of next month in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China. Prior to the main summit, the Concluding Senior Officials' Meeting (CSOM) will take place on the 14th and 15th, followed by the CEO Summit attended by business leaders from various nations on the 17th and 18th.

Setting "Building an Asia-Pacific Community and Promoting Common Prosperity" as this year's theme, China proposed openness, innovation, and cooperation as key agenda items. At this summit, key points to watch include not only economic issues such as U.S.-China trade friction and artificial intelligence (AI) cooperation, but also interactions among leaders concerning the war in Ukraine and the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

First, a bilateral summit between President Trump and President Xi Jinping is drawing keen attention. After agreeing to a truce in their trade war at last year's summit, the two nations recently extended the truce deadline to January of next year. President Trump announced his intention to attend APEC early on, and if the meeting takes place, it will mark the fourth meeting between the U.S. and Chinese leaders since the inauguration of his second administration.

Whether a trilateral summit among the U.S., China, and Russia will materialize is also drawing attention. The Russian Kremlin put forward an outlook that President Xi could pursue a trilateral meeting attended by President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. President Putin also expressed an affirmative stance at the Valdai Discussion Club recently.

President Trump also stated on the 16th that he is discussing nuclear arms reduction issues with China and Russia, adding to interest in the possibility of contact among the three leaders. Although China has not announced concrete meeting plans, Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission of the Chinese Communist Party and Foreign Minister, recently met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Baku, Azerbaijan, to discuss bilateral relations and other issues.

The biggest variable in the Korean Peninsula situation is a meeting between the leaders of North Korea and the U.S. Asked at the White House on the 12th whether he planned to meet Chairman Kim during his trip to Asia, President Trump replied, "Could be." This reaffirmed his willingness for dialogue, which he has stated multiple times.

However, North Korea is not an APEC member and Chairman Kim has no known plans to visit China, leaving it uncertain whether an actual meeting will take place. While ideas of President Trump heading to Pyongyang after visiting China to attend APEC are being mentioned, the key remains North Korea's response.

For South Korea, interest centers on whether a South Korea-China summit can produce concrete outcomes, such as the gradual lifting of the "Korea Limit Order," China's restrictions on the Korean Wave.

President Lee Jae-myung and President Xi reached a consensus on improving bilateral relations when they met at the Gyeongju APEC summit in November last year and in Beijing in January this year.

                                                                                                              Lee Han-sol