China envoy to go to N. Korea

BEIJING >> Following President Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing, China said Wednesday that it would send a high-level special envoy to North Korea amid an extended chill in relations between the neighbors over Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons and missile programs.

Song Tao, the head of China’s ruling Communist Party’s International Department, will travel Friday to Pyongyang to report on outcomes of the party’s national congress held last month, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

Xinhua said Song, as president and party leader Xi Jinping’s special envoy, would carry out a “visit” in addition to delivering his report, but gave no details about his itinerary or meetings. It also made no mention of Trump’s trip to Beijing or the North’s weapons programs, although Trump has repeatedly called on Beijing to do more to use its influence to pressure Pyongyang into altering its behavior.

Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang downplayed any connection between Song’s trip and Trump’s visit, saying it was “common practice” for the Communist Party and North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party to exchange views.

“The purpose of this visit is to brief about the party congress and exchange views on issues of common interest and bilateral interest,” Geng said.

Song would be the first ministerial-level Chinese official to visit North Korea since October 2015, when Politburo Standing Committee member Liu Yunshan met with leader Kim Jong Un. Liu gave a letter to Kim from Xi noting hopes for a strong relationship, but the respite in frosty ties was short-lived.