Seoul, South Korea (CNN) -- The main aim of President Barack Obama's getting-to-know-you meetings with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in California is to build a personal relationship between the men who lead the world's two most powerful countries. But they have a lot of thorny issues to discuss, not least the shared challenge of what to do about North Korea. The two sides will probably repeat well-worn mantras on their desires to see the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and the need to ensure stability in the region. But Obama should take a step back from the stalemate high politics and raise the case of Guk-hwa Jang. Guk-hwa is a 15-year-old North Korean orphan who was forcibly repatriated from Laos, through China to Pyongyang last month, along with eight of her young friends who were all trying to get to South Korea.
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Recent case of 9 North Koreans repatriated from Laos highlights human rights
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China regularly repatriates North Koreans, who may face torture back in their country
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China needs to be on the right side of history, writes Sokeel Park
This will create a long-term complication in China's relationship with either a reformed North Korea or a reunified @placeholder alike.