President Xi Jinping is expected to visit North Korea as early as next week, Yonhap news agency has reported, as Beijing and Pyongyang’s long-standing ties have grown warmer in recent months.
“We have obtained intelligence indicating that President Xi Jinping will visit North Korea soon,” the South Korean agency said, citing a government source.
Another government official told Yonhap that Xi might visit North Korea later this month or early next month. A separate source said the Chinese leader could seek to mediate relations between North Korea and the United States, it said.
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The expected trip to Pyongyang comes after Foreign Minister Wang Yi travelled to the North Korean capital last month, meeting not only its top diplomat Choe Son-hui but also the country’s leader, Kim Jong-un.
At that time, Wang said that Beijing and Pyongyang should defend their respective security and development interests and strengthen coordination in major global issues amid a turbulent international situation.
The Yonhap report follows Xi’s recent back-to-back summits with US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Next week, Serbia’s president, Aleksandar Vucic, is scheduled to visit China from May 24 to 28.