North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is visiting China at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to state media in both countries.
The Korean Central News Agency said on Tuesday that Kim departed for his fourth’s summit with Xi on Monday afternoon.
Kim, who was accompanied by his wife Ri Sol Ju and top North Korean officials, will stay in China until January 10.
China is North Korea’s key diplomatic ally and main source of trade and aid.
Last year, Kim travelled to China three times to meet with Xi before and after summits with US President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
The latest trip comes after US and North Korean officials are believed to have met in Vietnam to discuss the location of a second summit between Kim and Trump following their first meeting in Singapore in June last year.
At the time, the two leaders signed a vaguely-worded pledge on denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, but progress has since stalled with Pyongyang and Washington arguing over their agreement’s interpretation.
Christopher Hill, a former US ambassador to South Korea, said Kim’s visit to China may be Beijing’s way of ensuring it remains a player in any future developments with Washington.
“With the Trump administration, the [US’s] relationship with China has really gone very sour , and moreover as the Trump administration ramped up its North Korean contacts they did that without an effort to bring China in – and China is a very substantial country with 1.4 billion people and they really don’t want to be ignored,” he told Al Jazeera.
“So I think this is China’s effort to try and be part of this process and the key question of course is what is their message to the North Koreans,” Hill added.
“Are the Chinese going to encourage the North Koreans to do more? Or is North Korea going to continue a policy which essentially involves not testing any weapons during this time but hasn’t really involved much else.”
SOURCE:
Al Jazeera and news agencies
