Seoul: Chinese President Xi Jinping will likely visit North Korea as early as next week, sources said Wednesday. "We have obtained intelligence indicating that President Xi Jinping will visit North Korea soon," a high-ranking government official told Yonhap News Agency.
According to Yonhap News Agency, another government official highlighted the high possibility of Xi visiting North Korea later this month or early next month. This speculation follows Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to Pyongyang last month and recent trips by Xi's security guards and ceremonial staff to the North Korean capital.
During a meeting with Wang, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un expressed his willingness to strengthen high-level exchanges and enhance strategic communication with Beijing, recalling his visit to China last year. The two nations are celebrating the 65th anniversary of signing a comprehensive treaty on cooperation this year. Xi's potential visit to North Korea also follows summit talks with U.S. President Donald Trump in Beijing last week, where the two leaders reaffirmed their shared goal of denuclearizing North Korea.
A separate government source indicated that the Chinese leader might seek to mediate relations between North Korea and the United States. During his state visit to China in January, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung asked Xi to assist in mediating inter-Korean relations, to which the Chinese leader responded positively, according to the source.