WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump said Thursday he thinks his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will be "terrific."
Trump and Kim are expected to meet in May or June to talk about the denuclearization of the regime.
At a meeting with governors and lawmakers at the White House, Trump acknowledged the preparations were under way.
"Meetings are being set up right now between myself and Kim Jong-un," he said. "I think it will be terrific. I think we'll go in with a lot of respect and we'll see what happens, but China has really helped us at the border and we appreciate it."
President Donald Trump (AP)
China is North Korea's only major ally and economic benefactor. But it is thought to be coming on board with the international sanctions regime to rid Pyongyang of its nuclear weapons program.
"They are very much helping us at the border of North Korea and they're continuing to, and you know, they view it as something they should do," the president said. "I think it's certainly very beneficial to them. Getting rid of nuclear weapons is very good for them and good for everybody, but they have really been a great help to us at the border of North Korea."
China has been "really terrific in helping us get to some kind of a settlement," Trump added.
The Trump-Kim meeting, if realized, will follow an inter-Korean summit on April 27.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in's top national security adviser, Chung Eui-yong, was in Washington earlier in the day and met with his US counterpart, John Bolton, to discuss preparations for the summits. (Yonhap)
