The ongoing U.S.-China trade talks appeared to turn sour when President Donald Trump on Sunday announced a tariff hike on Chinese goods. China, in turn, is said to be considering skipping this week's planned negotiations.

According to the director of Korean Studies at think tank the Center for the National Interest, that recent downturn in Washington-Beijing relations may not bode well for Trump's denuclearization dialogue with North Korea.

"Donald Trump today tweeting out about increasing tariffs and things of that nature, he needs to be a little careful because his North Korea policy could blow up in his face," Harry Kazianis told CNBC's "Squawk Box Asia" on Monday.

On Sunday, North Korean state media showed its leader Kim Jong Un overseeing live firing drills of rocket launchers and short-range missiles. This comes two months after denuclearization talks between Washington and Pyongyang collapsed in Hanoi. Negotiations have been in a "lull state" since.

The Trump administration has typically taken a "maximum pressure" strategy toward Pyongyang, which consists of military threats, diplomatic actions and harsh tariffs.

However, this policy was "always" ultimately enforced by Beijing and not Washington, according to Kazianis.

"Think about it this way: 90% of North Korea's exports go to China," he added.

That all means that China can use its North Korean ties as a form of leverage over Washington.

If the U.S.-China trade deal falls apart, Beijing can use North Korea "as a weapon against the United States," Kazianis said. "(China) could end maximum pressure in days by just opening up the border."