Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s planned visit to China could create an opening for inter-Korean dialogue, but only if Washington takes the lead.

Speaking to reporters in Seoul on Friday, Chung stressed that “the United States has to move first” and that fostering a Washington-Pyongyang dynamic is crucial before Seoul takes further steps.

He cited President Lee Jae Myung’s remarks that U.S. President Donald Trump could play a “peacemaker” role, adding South Korea should help set the stage for such a development.

Chung described Kim’s upcoming trip as significant, calling it his “first appearance on a multilateral stage” after mostly bilateral meetings in the past.

A unification ministry official noted that National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik will attend China’s Victory Day anniversary but said it was too early to predict whether South-North contact would occur there.

Kim is scheduled to join Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at Beijing’s September 3 event marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Asia, raising the possibility of a trilateral summit.