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South China Morning Post (17 June 2019)

Matt Ho  

Xi Jinping will make his first official visit to North Korea this week, the first by a Chinese president in more than a decade, state-run news agency Xinhua reported on Monday night.

Hu Zhaoming, spokesman for the Communist Party’s International Department, said Xi’s visit on Thursday and Friday followed an invitation from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

North Korean state media reported in January that Xi accepted the invitation after a meeting with Kim in Beijing, but neither side confirmed a date for the visit.

Xi is also expected to attend the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, next week, but Beijing has yet to confirm whether the Chinese leader will meet US President Donald Trump.

North Korea has repeatedly invited Xi to visit, including in September as relations between the two countries warmed.

The last time a Chinese president visited North Korea was in 2005, when Hu Jintao made a three-day trip.

More to follow …

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3014898/chinese-president-xi-jinping-make-first-official-trip-north