North Korea expected to ask China for a break at summit
Analysts say visit to Beijing will likely involve an appeal to ease off on sanctions
North Korea is expected to press China to tone down its economic sanctions when its delegation attends an infrastructure and trade summit in Beijing on Sunday, observers said.
Talks between North Korean and Chinese officials on the sidelines of the “Belt and Road Initiative” forum would mainly focus on economic matters, but Beijing was likely to call on Pyongyang to stop its provocations in order for the sanctions to be relaxed, the analysts added.
China said on Tuesday that a North Korean delegation would attend the forum along with leaders from 28 other nations, surprising diplomatic observers.
Details about the North Korean delegation were not disclosed, but South Korean media reported that it would be led by Kim Yong-jae, the North’s minister of external economic relations.
Tensions on the Korean peninsula have increased recently, with Pyongyang threatening more nuclear and missile tests, which would embarrass Beijing.
“Now is about the time to put pressure on North Korea to force them to give up nuclear weapons,” a South Korean diplomat said on condition of anonymity.