BEIJING
• China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit North Korea this week, becoming the highest ranking Chinese official to travel there in years as Beijing moves to further improve ties with Pyongyang days after a landmark inter-Korea summit.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a brief statement yesterday that Mr Wang will visit North Korea tomorrow and Thursday at the invitation of his North Korean counterpart, Mr Ri Yong Ho.

The two met in Beijing early last month, days after talks between President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the Chinese capital.

Mr Wang will be the first Chinese foreign minister to visit the North since 2007, an interval which highlights the rough patch that relations between the Cold War-era allies have gone through in recent years. China has backed a series of United Nations sanctions against Pyongyang over its nuclear weapons programme.

But Beijing is likely eager to avoid being sidelined in the wave of diplomacy that led to last Friday's historic summit between Mr Kim and South Korea President Moon Jae In.

Mr Kim is expected to meet US President Donald Trump in the coming weeks at a time and place yet to be decided. Mr Kim has also invited Mr Xi to visit Pyongyang, but no date has been set yet.

"The Chinese are undoubtedly eager to hear what Kim Jong Un's plan is for his meeting with Donald Trump," said Dr Bonnie Glaser, China specialist at the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies. "It is also possible that Wang Yi is in Pyongyang to advance Xi's visit to North Korea," Dr Glaser said, adding that there are rumours Mr Xi could go to Pyongyang before the Trump-Kim summit.

At their summit in the Demilitarised Zone, Mr Kim and Mr Moon decided to seek a peace treaty by the end of the year and hold talks with the United States, and possibly China, to achieve it. The Korean War ceased in 1953 with an armistice rather than a peace treaty. China fought on the North's side.

Being left out of peace talks would be unacceptable to Beijing, Dr Glaser said. "The Chinese want to ensure that they are at the table and have a means to influence the course of events on the peninsula."

While China has backed punitive measures against the North, analysts say Beijing could worry that the diplomatic thaw could lead to a deal between Pyongyang and Washington that goes against its interests.

A divided Korea has played in its favour as the North serves as a buffer from the South, where US troops are stationed. Despite recent tensions, China is the North's sole major ally and top economic partner.

Pyongyang has promised to shut its nuclear test site within weeks and invite American experts and media to verify its closure.

"Beijing is likely irritated that Kim has ignored China's 'freeze for freeze' proposal," Dr Glaser said.

China has repeatedly proposed that the North suspend its nuclear and missile tests in return for the US, Japan and South Korea halting regional military drills.

But while Mr Kim has offered to suspend the tests, he has dropped his demand for the US and its allies to stop military manoeuvres.

"Kim has said nothing about the eventual removal of US troops from Korea, which is almost certainly what China hopes for," Dr Glaser said. </s> A possible visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to North Korea in early June and the recent inter-Korean summit are among the top issues in the agenda during Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's two-day visit to Pyongyang, according to the South Korean news agency, Yonhap.

Starting on Wednesday, Wang's trip to North Korea - a first for a Chinese foreign minister since 2007 - is seen as part of Beijing's continued effort to repair ties with Pyongyang after years of tension over its ballistic missiles and nuclear tests.

Images published by AFP news agency on Wednesday showed Wang as he greeted North Korean officials led by Vice Foreign Minister Ri Kil-song upon his arrival in the North Korean capital.

Lu Kang, China's foreign ministry spokesman, earlier said that Wang's visit was upon the invitation of North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho.

While in Pyongyang, Wang is "likely to be briefed" on the outcome of the breakthrough meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in on April 27 in Panmunjom, according to Yonhap.

During that meeting, the two leaders pledged to formally end the 1950s Korean War and pursue denuclearisation in the two rival Koreas.

Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post (SCMP) also reported that Wang "could make the case for a four-party talks" with the two Koreas and the United States on the future of the Korean Peninsula.

China is seen as the closest political and economic ally of North Korea. But relations between the two countries have frayed after Beijing imposed United Nations-backed sanctions against Pyongyang following its missile and nuclear tests.

'China wants in on talks'

Zhao Tong, of Carnegie-Tsinghua Centre for Global Policy in Beijing, was quoted by SCMP as saying that the visit of Wang to Pyongyang "might be evidence of China's strong will" to be involved in future talks on Korea.

On Tuesday, it was also reported that Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang will hold talks with South Korea's Moon and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo on May 9. It is their first trilateral meeting since 2015 with North Korea expected to be on top of the discussion.

Wang's visit in Pyongyang on Wednesday and Thursday comes as Kim prepares for the meeting with US President Donald Trump possibly later this month or in early June.

A spokesman for South Korean President Moon said on Tuesday that the demilitarised zone of Panmunjom would be a "meaningful" venue for the upcoming summit between Trump and Kim.

Yonhap reported that a visit to Pyongyang by China's Xi in early June could soon follow the Trump-Kim meeting.

In March, Kim visited Beijing for the first time since coming to power in 2011. During his meeting with Xi in Beijing, he made the pledge to denuclearise if South Korea and the US respond to his efforts "with goodwill". </s> Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi speaks during a press conference after talks with German Foreign Minister at the Borsig villa in Berlin. BERLIN: China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged an end to US-South Korean military manoeuvres on Wednesday as well as a stop to North Korea's nuclear programme to calm tensions on the peninsula.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Channelnewsasia.com. </s> China’s foreign minister will travel to North Korea on Wednesday in the first such visit since 2007, which analysts say may show Beijing’s desire to join the next stage of talks involving the two Koreas and the United States.

Wang Yi’s trip will come ahead of a planned meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said in a statement on Monday that Wang would visit on Wednesday and Thursday at the invitation of his North Korean counterpart Ri Yong-ho.

China is the North’s only major economic partner, but trade has declined by about 90 per cent since Beijing’s implementation of economic sanctions imposed over Pyongyang’s nuclear bomb and ballistic missile tests.

China could be excluded from peace talks after Trump-Kim summit, analysts say

In March, Kim made his first visit to Beijing since taking power in 2011, kicking off a flurry of diplomacy culminating in his meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in last week.

South Korean officials said Kim had told Moon that he would be willing to give up his nuclear weapons if the US committed to a formal end to the Korean war and pledged not to attack the North.

Kim also promised to shut the North’s nuclear test site in May and disclose the process to specialists and journalists from South Korea and the United States, Seoul’s presidential office said.

China has backed a series of United Nations sanctions against Pyongyang over its nuclear weapons programme, but Beijing is likely to want to avoid being marginalised in the diplomatic activity.

In recent years, Beijing has relied more on its Communist Party’s diplomatic channels to engage Pyongyang. Wang’s immediate superior, Politburo member Yang Jiechi, visited North Korea in 2007 when he was the foreign minister.

Zhao Tong, a fellow on the nuclear policy programme at the Carnegie-Tsinghua Centre for Global Policy, said Wang’s visit might be evidence of China’s strong will to be involved in future talks on the Korean peninsula.

Song Tao, head of the party’s International Department, visited Pyongyang earlier in April, a further sign of improving ties between Beijing and Pyongyang after Kim’s landmark visit to the Chinese capital in March.

South Korea preparing for summit with North Korea and US, diplomat says

“[Wang’s visit] appears to be a higher level of meeting than Song’s and carries a meaning of greater importance,” Zhao said.

“China would be interested to know what the two Koreas meant by their vow on Friday to ‘work together to officially end the Korean war through trilateral talks or quadrilateral talks’.

“China may be concerned that it might get a seat at the table only after talks between the two Koreas and the US.

“Wang may persuade Pyongyang to act regarding quadrilateral talks, making sure Beijing is involved in the forthcoming peace talks.”

In addition, Wang may express Beijing’s wish to take part in future nuclear inspections in North Korea, adding legitimacy to its case for involvement in future talks on the peninsula, Zhao said.

“China is a legitimate nuclear state and it would make sense for Beijing to observe the inspection or the dismantlement process of Pyongyang’s nuclear programme,” Zhao said.

“This would ensure China’s position as a legitimate player in denuclearisation.”

Paik Hak-soon, a director of the Centre for North Korean Studies at the Sejong Institute in Seoul, agreed that Wang might reinforce the case for China’s involvement in further talks.

Kim Jong-un offers to give up North Korea’s nukes if US promises not to invade, says South Korea

“During the inter-Korean summit in 2007, it was Pyongyang, not Seoul, that actually preferred three-party talks over four-party talks,” Paik said.

“It would be correct to say Beijing is concerned that it might be overlooked.”

However, Paik disagreed with the possibility that China would be overlooked during the peace talks process on the peninsula.

“We must look at the wider picture,” Paik said. “The phrase ‘overlooking China’ may be correct if you look at the present situation only, but is incorrect if you look at the bigger picture politically in the region.

“Geopolitically, China has positioned itself to play a pivotal role in the future [for the settlement of permanent peace on the Korean peninsula].”

Bonnie Glaser, a China specialist at the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies, said being left out of peace talks would be unacceptable to Beijing.

“The Chinese want to ensure that they are at the table and have the means to influence the course of events on the peninsula,” Glaser said.

“China is undoubtedly eager to hear what Kim’s plan is for his meeting with Donald Trump.”

It has been proposed repeatedly by China that the North suspend its nuclear and missile tests in return for the US, Japan and South Korea halting regional military drills.

Although Kim has offered to suspend the tests, he has made no public mention of any demand for the US and its allies to halt military manoeuvres.

“Kim has said nothing about the eventual removal of US troops from Korea, which is almost certainly what China hopes for,” Glaser said.

North Korea still looking to China for economic and political security, analysts say

“Beijing is probably irritated that Kim has ignored China’s ‘freeze for freeze’ proposal [that the US and South Korea halt major military exercises in exchange for North Korea doing the same].”

Zhao said Wang might also seek to improve the political relationship with Pyongyang.

Kim has invited Xi to visit Pyongyang, but with no date set for this yet.

Both Glaser and Paik expected Wang’s visit to help establish the agenda for Xi’s trip. .

Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse and Associated Press </s> Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit North Korea on Wednesday ahead of the upcoming summit between Kim Jong-un and President Donald Trump, the Chinese foreign ministry has announced.

The two-day visit will involve preparations for the historic meeting between the two countries, as North Korea agrees to efforts to denuclearize.

“State Councilor Wang will visit North Korea at the invitation of North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho,” a foreign ministry spokesman said on Monday.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Wang is “likely to be briefed on the results of the Moon-Kim summit and discuss strategies for the upcoming summit between Kim and Trump.”

The trip follows a meeting between Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-In on Saturday where the two men agreed to a de-escalation of tensions on the Korean peninsula.

“As I stand here today I can see that South and North Koreans are the same people, they cannot be separated. We are compatriots,” Kim said at the meeting. “We should not be confronting each other, we are the same people and should live in unity. I hope we will be able to live very peacefully in the future, as soon as possible.”

Yet according to a report from the South China Morning Post, China could be excluded from peace talks between North Korea and the U.S., despite Donald Trump’s long-term belief that China was the key intermediary for delivering peace.

“The stance of China’s foreign ministry has been that [the North Korean nuclear crisis] is none of its business and that North Korea and the U.S. should be communicating directly,” Zhang Liangui, a specialist in Korean studies at the Central Party School, told the Post.

“So now things are out of China’s control and it is no surprise that it is being excluded from the discussions,” he continued. “Now it all depends on the U.S.’ attitude. There’s a chance for real denuclearisation if the U.S. remains determined and does not consider only its own interests.”

China has long been North Korea’s closest ally, providing political and economic support to the regime through trade and bilateral relations. However, China has pulled back some support over the past year amid North Korea’s multiple nuclear tests and threats against regional powers.

Trump, meanwhile, has said he thinks his meeting with Kim will be “terrific” and thanked China for their role in easing tensions.

“I think it will be terrific,” he said this month. “I think we’ll go in with a lot of respect and we’ll see what happens, but China has really helped us at the border and we appreciate it.”

Follow Ben Kew on Facebook, Twitter at @ben_kew, or email him at bkew@breitbart.com. </s> North Korea's state media said on Thursday that China's state councillor Wang Yi met with the North's Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho in Pyongyang where they discussed bilateral ties and issues regarding the Korean Peninsula.

BEIJING: China is willing to continue playing a positive role to seek a political resolution for the Korean peninsula, the Chinese government's top diplomat, State Councillor Wang Yi, told North Korea's foreign minister as diplomatic efforts gather pace.

China is North Korea's most important economic and diplomatic backer, despite Beijing's anger at Pyongyang's repeated nuclear and missile tests and support for strong United Nations sanctions against the North.

However, China has also welcomed moves by North Korea to improve ties with South Korea and the United States.

Wang is visiting Pyongyang following last week's historic meeting between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and the North's Kim Jong Un, where both pledged to improve ties.

The North surprised the world several days before that summit by declaring it would dismantle its nuclear test site to "transparently guarantee" its dramatic commitment to stop all nuclear and missile tests.

In a statement late on Wednesday, China's Foreign Ministry cited Wang as offering North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho his congratulations for the successful meeting between the leaders of the North and South.

China fully supports North Korea's commitment to denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula as well as its decision to concentrate its efforts on economic development, Wang said during his trip to Pyongyang.

"We hope the dialogue between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the United States will be conducted successfully and that substantial progress will be made," he said, referring to an upcoming meeting between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump.

China also fully supports a resolution of North Korea's "reasonable and legitimate security concerns" and gives its full support for the improvement of inter-Korean relations, Wang said.

"China is willing to strengthen communication with North Korea and continue to play a positive role in seeking a political solution to the Korean peninsula issue," he said.

China had largely sat on the sidelines while the two Koreas improved ties, until Kim made a secretive trip to Beijing to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in late March.

Beijing has been keen to show that it has an indispensable role to play in seeking a lasting solution, concerned that its interests may be ignored, especially as Pyongyang and Washington edge closer together.

The widely read Chinese state-run tabloid the Global Times said in an editorial on Thursday the theory China was being marginalised "is a shallow attempt to manipulate public opinion".

China prefers quieter diplomacy, it said, pointing to the secrecy surrounding Kim's meeting with Xi.

"But Seoul, for its own political purposes, created much hype about the inter-Korean summit. U.S. President Donald Trump has started claiming credit for the Kim-Trump summit before it even starts," it said. </s> BEIJING (Reuters) - China’s foreign minister Wang Yi called on the United States and North Korea on Thursday to have talks as soon as possible and said peace must prevail, amid signs of easing tension over North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats.

Wang made the comments during a news briefing as part of the annual meeting of China’s parliament. </s> BEIJING (AP) — The foreign minister of North Korea's chief ally China will visit Pyongyang this week following the historic summit between the leaders of the two Koreas.

The trip by Wang Yi comes as Beijing and Pyongyang continue an effort to repair ties that have suffered from tensions in recent years, and ahead of a planned meeting between President Donald Trump and the North's leader Kim Jong Un.

Foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said in a statement issued Monday that Wang will visit on Wednesday and Thursday.

China is the North's only major economic partner, but trade has declined by about 90 percent following Beijing's implementation of economic sanctions imposed over the North's nuclear bomb and ballistic missile tests.

Kim last month made his first visit to Beijing since taking power six years ago, kicking off a flurry of diplomacy highlighted by his meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in last week. South Korean officials said Kim told Moon that he would be willing to give up his nuclear weapons if the U.S. commits to a formal end to the Korean War and a pledge not to attack the North.

Kim also pledged to shut down the North's nuclear test site in May and disclose the process to experts and journalists from South Korea and the United States, Seoul's presidential office said.

China has long called for dialogue between the parties and welcomed the summit as a vehicle for reducing tensions. Analysts say China's sanctions implementation may have helped prompt the North's diplomatic initiatives although the secretive regime in Pyongyang has made no public comments on the issue.

China says sanctions are intended to further diplomacy rather than punish the North and opposes any measures that could topple the regime, possibly bringing a tide of refugees across its border and leading to the stationing of U.S. and South Korea troops in the North. </s> WUZHEN: China's foreign minister said Wednesday the summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un can be an "important step" towards advancing denuclearisation and peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Beijing is North Korea's sole major ally and Kim travelled for more than two days by train across China on his way to Hanoi.

The North Korean leader met with Chinese President Xi Jinping for a fourth time in January, showing that Beijing retains a key role in the diplomatic shuffle.

"In this Hanoi meeting, we can not only increase the hard-won warming up of the situation, but we can also take an important step towards advancing the denuclearisation of the peninsula and establishing a peace mechanism," Foreign Minister Wang Yi said after talks with his Russian and Indian counterparts in the eastern Chinese city of Wuzhen.

Trump was due to meet Kim for dinner later Wednesday and meet again on Thursday.

Following a historic first meeting in Singapore in June that produced a vaguely worded statement about denuclearisation, analysts say the second summit in Vietnam's capital Hanoi must this time put substance ahead of bonhomie.
Chinese diplomat Wang Yi will travel to North Korea to meet with Kim Jong-un following the summit.