Chinese diplomat to visit North Korea on mission for Xi Jinping

BEIJING: A senior Chinese diplomat will visit North Korea from tomorrow as a special envoy of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Beijing said, although it did not say he was planning to discuss North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic programmes.

China has repeatedly pushed for a diplomatic solution to the crisis but in recent months has held only limited high-level exchanges with North Korea.

The last time China’s special envoy visited North Korea was in February last year.

The official Xinhua news agency said yesterday that Song Tao, who heads the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s external affairs department, would leave for North Korea tomorrow.

He would “inform the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) of the 19th Communist Party of China national congress and visit the DPRK”.

North Korea’s KCNA news agency confirmed the visit. However, it said only that it would take place “soon”.

The trip would come a week after US President Donald Trump visited Beijing as part of a lengthy Asia tour, where he pressed for greater action to rein-in North Korea, especially from China, with which North Korea does 90% of its trade.

It is not clear how long Song could stay. However, he has already visited Vietnam and Laos to inform them of the results of the congress, a courtesy that China extends other communist countries after important meetings.

It is also unclear whether Song will meet North Korea’s youthful leader Kim Jong-un.

Song’s “main objective” in going to North Korea was to “report on the 19th party congress”, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said.