BEIJING, June 17 —Chinese President Xi Jinping will go to North Korea today for two days, state media in both countries reported today, making him the first Chinese leader to visit the reclusive country in 14 years.
Neighbouring China is North Korea’s lone major ally and the visit comes amid a protracted dispute over the North’s denuclearisation with the United States.
“Both sides will exchange views on the (Korean) peninsula situation, and push for new progress in the political resolution of the peninsula issue,” China’s official CCTV broadcaster said in a lengthy report that led the evening broadcast.
Kim has visited China four times since March 2018, CCTV reported, adding that this marked the 70th year since China and North Korea established diplomatic ties.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump held a summit last year in Singapore and one in Hanoi this year, but hopes among observers over imminent progress towards denuclearisation have since faded.
The last Chinese leader to visit North Korea was Hu Jintao, in 2005. — Reuters
