Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) will likely visit North Korea as early as next week, sources said Wednesday. In this photo, Xi shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a meeting in Beijing. File Photo by KCNA/EPA
Chinese President Xi Jinping will likely visit North Korea as early as next week, sources said Wednesday.
“We have obtained intelligence indicating that President Xi Jinping will visit North Korea soon,” a high-ranking government official told Yonhap News Agency.
Another government official also said there is a high possibility of Xi visiting North Korea later this month or early next month, noting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to Pyongyang last month and the recent trips by Xi’s security guards and ceremonial staff to the North Korean capital.
During the meeting with Wang, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un expressed willingness to strengthen high-level exchanges and enhance strategic communication with Beijing, as he recalled his visit to China last year.
The two nations mark the 65th anniversary of signing a comprehensive treaty on cooperation this year.
Xi’s possible visit to the reclusive regime also follows summit talks with U.S President Donald Trump in Beijing last week. During the talks, the two leaders reaffirmed their shared goal of denuclearizing North Korea.
A separate government source said the Chinese leader could seek to mediate relations between North Korea and the United States.
During his state visit to China in January, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung asked Xi to help mediate inter-Korean relations, and the Chinese leader responded positively to the request, according to the source.
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