North Korean diplomat arrives in Beijing for first talks since Kim Jong-nam assassination
Visit comes as tension rises over Beijing’s ban on coal imports from North Korea
A senior North Korean diplomat arrived in China on Tuesday for talks following Beijing’s ban on coal imports from the hermit nation and the killing of the half-brother of the North’s leader Kim Jong-un.
But mainland analysts cautioned that the visit alone could not lead to a diplomatic breakthrough over Pyongyang’s missile programme, and that the involvement of the United States was key to finding a solution.
North Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Ri Kil-song is due to meet a number of senior Chinese officials during his five-day visit, including Foreign Minister Wang Yi, his deputy Liu Zhenmin and Kong Xuanyou, an assistant foreign minister, according to Beijing. Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said the agenda included bilateral relations as well as “international issues of mutual concern”.
Igor Morgulov, Russia’s deputy foreign minister, was also in Beijing for talks with China over the North Korean issue, Geng said.
Ri’s visit is the most significant contact between the two nations since June, when Ri Su-yong, a member of North Korea’s ruling party Politburo and the country’s top diplomat, visited Beijing.
China suspended coal imports from North Korea last month as part of wider global sanctions following Pyongyang’s latest ballistic missile test. Without directly naming China, the North’s state media characterised the move by a “neighbour” as showing it was “dancing to the US tune”.
China is Pyongyang’s main protector but the killing of Kim Jong-nam at a Kuala Lumpur airport last month has added to tensions. Malaysia has linked the murder to ministries in North Korea and refused to release Kim’s body until DNA samples for identification are submitted. A high-level delegation from