Chinese President to visit North Korea
(Baonghean.vn) - Singapore's Straits Times reported on August 18 that, at the invitation of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Pyongyang next month to attend ceremonies celebrating the 70th anniversary of North Korea's National Day (September 9).
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| Chinese President to make first visit to North Korea. Photo: AP |
According to the Straits Times, this will be the first visit by a Chinese leader to Pyongyang since he took power in 2012, and 13 years after the last visit by a Chinese president, when President Xi Jinping's predecessor, Hu Jintao, visited North Korea in 2005.
The newspaper said that Xi Jinping's visit schedule could change at the last minute.The Chinese Foreign Ministry has not yet commented on the above information.
China is North Korea's most important trading partner, and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has visited China three times this year. During the visits, Kim Jong-un held talks with President Xi Jinping to discuss improving cooperation between the two countries and economic reform.
The US has stepped up sanctions against North Korea to pressure Pyongyang into abandoning its nuclear program. This week, Washington imposed sanctions on Chinese companies for exporting alcohol and tobacco products to North Korea in violation of sanctions./.
