Asia Politics

Chinese President Xi to visit North Korea: State media

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, as he paid an unofficial visit to China, in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang March 28, 2018.
KCNA | Reuters

Chinese President Xi Jinping will make a state visit to North Korea this week, state media announced Monday.

Xi will meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during the visit on Thursday and Friday, state broadcaster CCTV said. It said the trip will be the first by a Chinese leader in 14 years.

North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency also announced the visit, but provided no further details.

The visit coincides with the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and North Korea, CCTV said. It said the leaders will exchange views on the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

The visit comes as U.S. talks with North Korea on its nuclear program are at an apparent standstill. A summit in Vietnam between Kim and President Donald Trump failed in February over differences between the two sides.