In engaging with North Korea, the Biden administration must avoid the “strategic patience” employed during the Obama years. China may be in the prime position to mediate between Pyongyang and Washington.

North Korea’s standoffish relationship with the U.S. is often viewed in a silo - yet the hermetic country lies at the center of East Asia’s major economies. Biden’s approach to North Korea may come wrapped in regional diplomacy rather than singular overtures to the isolated nation.

The nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula will not be resolved easily, but there’s reason to hope that a resolution can be nursed into reality. China, Russia, and the Republic of Korea should actively promote the resumption of dialogue and not allow the matter to drift.

Cooperating over North Korea is essential for both China and the U.S. – not just for the good of the DPRK, but for the Sino-American relationship at large.

One cost of the deteriorating Sino-American relationship is that it encourages North Korean intransigence regarding the inter-Korean peace process. If the U.S. and China want to avoid a repeat of the Korean War, it is up to both great powers to pursue policies which incentivize North Korean compliance.

Strategic currents and cross-currents have resulted in a complex geopolitical stew. China is playing a constructive role in helping keep the heat down as it encourages a solution based on “multiparty consultation.”

The DPRK must have security guarantees. Once the Pyongyang regime’s continuity is ensured, it can embark on a path to economic stability and growth, which in turn can ease its foreign policy.

The DPRK and United States have dug in their heels, but a window of opportunity remains. Step-by-step reduction and verification agreed by both sides is the only realistic way to solve the problem over time.

President Trump’s continuing willingness to meet with Kim Jong-un reflects both a major shift in U.S. policy and the importance of China’s constructive influence. Beijing has pushed Washington for years to open a bilateral dialogue with Pyongyang, but previous U.S. administrations spurned or deflected China’s advice, until now.

As a country with long diplomatic experience with the US and a rare close relationship with the DPRK, China is uniquely suited to help the two countries come to the table and bridge their massive differences. As an “external think tank,” China can use its expertise to help break rigid perceptions on both sides and usher in a new era of productive diplomatic, and perhaps even economic, relations.