“Our status as a nuclear power is absolutely non-negotiable,” Kim’s sister Kim Yo Jong said in a statement published by North Korea’s official Rodong Sinmun, adding that the North “will not tolerate any threats”.

A key player in the country’s communications and foreign policy, Kim Yo Jong’s statement came on the eve of Xi’s visit to North Korea, scheduled to take place from Monday to Tuesday, according to state media.

Beijing is a vital source of political and economic support to North Korea.

Xi’s upcoming visit to Pyongyang would be his first in seven years, and comes after he hosted back-to-back summits with US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin last month.

MNA