China said Wednesday it will dispatch a high-level special envoy to North Korea just days after President Trump urged the country’s leader to ramp up pressure on the reclusive regime over its missile and nuclear weapons programs.
Song Tao, head of China’s ruling Communist Party’s International Department, will travel to Pyongyang on Friday to deliver a report on the results of last month’s national congress meeting, China’s Xinhua News Agency said.
Xinhua said Song, acting as Presdient Xi Jinping’s special envoy, will conduct a “visit” but gave no details about whom he would meet with.
China’s foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Song’s trip to North Korea was a routine meeting to exchange views between the Communist Party and North Korea’s ruling Working Party.
He said the timing had nothing to do with Trump’s visit last week.
“The purpose of this visit is to brief about the party congress and exchange views on issues of common interest and bilateral interest,” Geng said, according to state media.
But Song would be the first ministerial-level official to visit Pyongyang since October 2015.
During his meeting with Xi in Beijing last week, Trump pressed the Chinese leader to fully implement sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council against North Korea.
“China can fix this problem easily and quickly,” Trump said during his two-day visit with Xi. “You know one thing about your president: If he works on it hard, it will happen. There’s no doubt about it.”
Xi, in a joint appearance with Trump after their talks, said he was committed to a “denuclearization” of North Korea and vowed to “fully and strictly implement” UN resolutions against Pyongyang.
“At the same time, the two sides commit to working toward a solution through dialogue and negotiation,” he said. “And we are ready to discuss with relevant parties the pathway leading to enduring peace and stability in the peninsula and the northeast Asia.”
With Post wires