Top Chinese official to visit North Korea on behalf of President Xi
- 6 years ago
We now have confirmation that Chinese President Xi Jinping will NOT be going to North Korea for the regime's 70th founding anniversary.... and that he will be sending one of his right-hand men instead.
Lee Seung-jae has more.
North Korea will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the regime's founding on Sunday,... but one V-VIP that won't be there.... is Chinese President Xi Jinping.
According to state media in both countries on Tuesday,... President Xi will instead send a high-level delegation led by Li Zhanshu, the Chairman of China's National People's Congress.
Li will travel to Pyongyang on Saturday, a day ahead of the celebrations, as President Xi's special envoy.
Li, considered the third most powerful official in China and President Xi's right-hand man,... will be the highest level Chinese official to visit North Korea since President Xi came to power in 2012.
In recent weeks,... there had been speculation President Xi might attend the celebrations,... in what would have been his first visit to North Korea.
The Chinese leader has met North Korean leader Kim Jong-un three times this year,... but always in China.
According to a former senior Chinese official,... President Xi might believe he has little to gain from such a visit.
With Pyongyang and Washington in a deadlock over how to proceed with their denuclearization talks,... the Chinese president would be put in an embarrassing position if the North's military parade includes nuclear-capable weaponry.
China has supported proposals encouraging Pyongyang to give up its nuclear arms.
A visit would've also risked angering the U.S.,... which is strongly urging Beijing to maintain "maximum" pressure on North Korea.
With or without President Xi's attendance,... regional players, including China, are eager to see whether North Korea's military parade will include a display of intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Experts say their absence from the streets of Pyongyang on Sunday would signal to the world that North Korea might be serious about denuclearizing.
Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.
Lee Seung-jae has more.
North Korea will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the regime's founding on Sunday,... but one V-VIP that won't be there.... is Chinese President Xi Jinping.
According to state media in both countries on Tuesday,... President Xi will instead send a high-level delegation led by Li Zhanshu, the Chairman of China's National People's Congress.
Li will travel to Pyongyang on Saturday, a day ahead of the celebrations, as President Xi's special envoy.
Li, considered the third most powerful official in China and President Xi's right-hand man,... will be the highest level Chinese official to visit North Korea since President Xi came to power in 2012.
In recent weeks,... there had been speculation President Xi might attend the celebrations,... in what would have been his first visit to North Korea.
The Chinese leader has met North Korean leader Kim Jong-un three times this year,... but always in China.
According to a former senior Chinese official,... President Xi might believe he has little to gain from such a visit.
With Pyongyang and Washington in a deadlock over how to proceed with their denuclearization talks,... the Chinese president would be put in an embarrassing position if the North's military parade includes nuclear-capable weaponry.
China has supported proposals encouraging Pyongyang to give up its nuclear arms.
A visit would've also risked angering the U.S.,... which is strongly urging Beijing to maintain "maximum" pressure on North Korea.
With or without President Xi's attendance,... regional players, including China, are eager to see whether North Korea's military parade will include a display of intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Experts say their absence from the streets of Pyongyang on Sunday would signal to the world that North Korea might be serious about denuclearizing.
Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.