President Trump’s decision Thursday to walk away from denuclearization talks with North Korea could result in the president tightening his demands with China during their upcoming trade talks. The president needs China’s help to force North Korea to make a deal, but if those talks remain stalled then the president can afford to get tougher on trade with Beijing, experts note.

“North Korea has mattered on China trade,” said Derek Scissors, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. “The president says, ‘You know, if they help me on North Korea, I’ll cut them some slack on trade.’ I think that he’s still happy with them on Korea … but if that shifted, the deal would be in trouble.”