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.
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.
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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.
