North Korea could face increasing pressure to put an end to their nuclear test thanks to Donald Trump’s visit to key allies in Asia.
General Hayden said: “You’ve got a bit of a ray of light, a breath of fresh air here with the Chinese trying to amp up their pressure on the North Koreans.
“But you have to be realistic: China is most interested in stability on the whole Korean peninsula. They’re not too excited about change.”
Speaking to CNN, General Hayden said China – North Korea’s only ally in the region – is now expected to exercise more influence on Pyongyang starting with a last-minute visit from Chinese head of international liaison Song Tao.
The retired general continued: “I think we can rely on them to amp up the pressure a bit to have Kim the youngest tone down the rhetoric, maybe stop testing for a while.
“But I don’t think he’s going there to point out that they need to give up these weapons.”
Mr Song’s visit to the rogue nation signals the first step towards more diplomatic intervention from China following years of close cooperation between Pyongyang and Bejing.
In response to UN sanctions, in September 2017 China ordered all North Koreans companies in its territory to close within four months.
Bejing also imposed a ban on several petroleum products exports from North Korea as well as imports of textiles from the isolated nation.
It is believed that President Trump’s visit to President Xi Jinping further urged China to intervene to defuse the rising tension between Washington and Pyongyang.
Mr Trump has said in the past that China should do more to rein in its wayward neighbour but also sees China as a central player in his strategy to combat the ambitions of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
North Korea’s ties with China, its main ally and economic benefactor, have been frayed over Pyongyang’s persistent advancement of its nuclear and missile programmes.
China is currently bound to militarily intervene in support of North Korea by the Sino-North Korea Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance signed in 1961 – and up for renewal in 2021.
Bejing also sees the rascal state as a “buffer” between China and the democratic South Korea, which houses nearly 29,000 US troops and marines.
Geng Shuang, a spokesman at China’s foreign ministry, said in a briefing: “China and North Korea will exchange opinions about issues of mutual concern including party-to-party matters and bilateral ties, along with the party congress.”