Trump-Kim summit: US president and North Korea leader sign document after meeting – live
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Version 11 of 37. Trump and Kim have appeared on the steps of the hotel holding their signed agreements. “We had a terrific day and we learned a lot about each other and our countries,” said Trump. Asked what he learned about Kim, Trump said: “I learned he’s a very talented man and I also learned he loves his country very much.” They then enjoyed another extended handshake. Asked if they would meet again, Trump said, “We’ll meet many times,” before leaving the steps. The US and North Korean leaders are signing an agreement after historic talks held in Singapore. Trump and Kim arrived in the signing room, walking in together and taking seats at the table. Trump said we’re signing a “very important document, a pretty comprehensive document”. Kim said: “Today we have had a historic meeting, we decided to leave the past behind. The world will see a major change. I would like to express my gratitude to President Trump for making this meeting happen.” After making statements, they shook hands and signed the documents. It is still unclear what they have signed. Trump said that would become clear shortly and that he would “discuss this at great length” in a press conference to be held in about 45 minutes, but that the document was “comprehensive”. “A lot of goodwill went into this, a lot of work, a lot of preparation. We’re very proud of what took place today,” said Trump. Trump said the relationship between the world and North Korea was going to change in light of the agreement. “It’s going to be a very much different situation to what it has been in the past,” said Trump. “We are going to take care of a very big and very dangerous problem for the world.” Trump also cited the “strong bond” that existed between himself and Kim. “I want to say thank you to Chairman Kim, we spent a lot of time together today, a very intensive time.” Trump was asked if he would invite Kim to the White House and Trump replied: “Absolutely”. The North Korean and US delegations have entered the room where the signing is due to take place. We are expecting Trump and Kim to arrive imminently. Reporters are in a room that has a desk and two chairs flanked by US and North Korean flags, waiting for Trump and Kim to emerge. Julian Borger says it is all in the detail though: there are two pens inscribed in gold and the inscription appears to be Trump’s signature. In Singapore, a desk has been set up in the Capella Hotel with two chairs and two pens. The pens are black and inscribed in gold. The inscription appears to be Donald Trump's signature. A pool report says that at 1.08pm, after enormous bustle and commotion en route as US and NK reporters pushed and shoved each other, the pool arrived in a ceremonial room where it appears Trump and Kim will sign a document. Chief of staff John Kelly and NSA John Bolton are present. A little bit of jostling going on in the signing ceremony room. pic.twitter.com/uBjISU5tzN While we wait to hear what is to be signed by Trump and Kim, it’s worth remembering that one thing that is unlikely to have been discussed today is North Korea’s record on human rights. Benjamin Haas has this reminder of the abuses that are committed by the regime. CNN has cited a senior US official saying Trump and Kim would agree on a joint statement recording the progress of the summit. Trump has said talks with Kim Jong-un have been “better than anybody could imagine”. He said that he and the North Korean leader were on the way to “a signing” but did not say what was to be signed. Trump was speaking as the two leaders came out of a “working lunch” with their teams of aides. The leaders began with a one-on-one talk, lasting about 40 minutes, then moved into expanded bilateral discussions with their top aides. The talks were the first time a sitting US president has met with a leader of North Korea. Trump and Kim met on the steps of the Capella hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore and shook hands in front of a display of US and North Korean flags. The handshake lasted about 12 seconds, but was relatively benign by Trump standards. As they walked off together after the handshake, Kim said to Trump through an interpreter: “Many people in the world will think of this as a form of fantasy from a science fiction movie.” After Trump’s announcement that he and Kim were on the way to “a signing”, a reporter asked: “What are you signing, sir?” Trump replied: “We’ll be announcing that in a couple of minutes.” Trump and Kim have emerged from their working lunch and are addressing the press. Trump said it was a “really fantastic meeting” and they had made “fantastic progress”. He also said the talks were “top of the line” and “better than anyone could have expected”. Trump says they are on the way to “a signing”. In a bizarre moment, Trump and Kim walked towards Trump’s car, opened the door, looked inside and then walked back towards the hotel where they stood for pictures. A tweet by Ivanka Trump, which purports to be an English translation of a Chinese proverb, has been interpreted by some commentators as a veiled criticism of the Chinese government’s inability to achieve peace on the Korean peninsula. “Those who say it can not be done, should not interrupt those doing it.” -Chinese Proverb “Those who say it can not be done, should not interrupt those doing it,” she wrote on the morning of the summit. Chinese netizens trying to reverse translate the tweet say she seems to be referring to a phrase popular online in China that translates loosely as “Put up or shut up” or “If you can’t do it, don’t criticise others trying.” The phrase nixingnishang 你行你上啊 is often followed by buxingbie BB, 不行别BB. “BB” means to nag or to complain. The phrase is believed to have originated with Chinese NBA fans defending Kobe Bryant over a Lakers loss in 2012. Feng Wei, a professor of history at Fudan University in Shanghai, posted on Weibo: “How to translate this sentence is not important. What’s important is that by using a Chinese proverb Ivanka is saying to Chinese people, those who can’t complete something (China) should not interrupt those who are trying (America).” Chinese state media CCTV is broadcasting the summit live, but coverage of the summit has been light in China. The People’s Daily front page today made no mention of the summit, focusing instead on Chinese president Xi Jinping’s comments at a weekend summit for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Our resident handshake analyst, Benjamin Haas, has this take on the 12-second handshake between the two leaders, and other things we learned from the first moments of the first meeting between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader. We have seen pictures from the working lunch. Trump, Kim and their negotiating parties will be eating at a long white table, which is set with green and white flowers. Representatives from the two sides are seated on either side of the table facing one another. As Trump and Kim entered the room, photographs were taken, with Trump joking about wanting to get a “beautiful picture” in which he looked good. Julian Borger, who is reporting from Singapore for the Guardian, has this interpretation of the scene: Trump and Kim and teams sit down for a working lunch. Asks photographers: "Did you get a beautiful photo that makes me look nice and handsome and thin and perfect?" Kim just gazes at cameras, looking somewhat stunned. |