Foreign ministers of North Korea, China meet in Beijing

BEIJING. KAZINFORM - North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho met with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in Beijing on Tuesday before heading for Azerbaijan to attend an international meeting, the Chinese foreign ministry said, Yonhap reports. 

The North Korean foreign minister landed in the Chinese capital earlier in the day before flying to Baku, Azerbaijan, where he plans to attend a ministerial meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement slated for Thursday and Friday.

The meeting came as the North tries to restore its fractured relationship with China ahead of leader Kim Jong-un's historic summits with the South Korean and United States leaders in April and May.

Kim made a surprise visit to China last week and held his first ever summit meeting in Beijing with President Xi Jinping to discuss their strategic interests ahead of the planned summits.

Ri and Wang are widely expected to have held a follow-up discussion on their leaders' talks last week.

"Foreign Minister Ri may have discussed details of the issues concerning the Korean Peninsula with its ally, China, ahead of the South-North and U.S.-North summits," a diplomatic source said.

Following his trip to Baku, Ri is expected to travel to Russia to discuss the issues with Moscow, the source also said, citing earlier reports that the North Korean diplomat may visit Russia in mid-April.

Ri is reportedly staying in the North Korean Embassy in Beijing and plans to board the flight to Baku early Thursday morning.

Photo: Reuters