Kim Jong-Un Meets With Xi Jinping Ahead Of Summit With Donald Trump

Ahead of the highly anticipated summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and United States President Donald Trump, the former made an announced visit to neighbouring China where he met with president Xi Jinping, reports AFP. This marks the second visit of the North Korean leader to China this year.

Shortly after the meeting was made public, Trump tweeted out that he’d be talking to his “friend” Jinping about its nuclear neighbour.

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV showed the two leader taking a stroll at a park in the city of Dalian while Xinhua said that the two of them met yesterday (7 May) and today (8 May).

In the wake of recent developments including the historic meet between Jung-un and his South Korean counter Moon Jae-in last month and the first ever meeting between an incumbent United States President and North Korean leader, Beijing seems to have indicated that it does not want to be left behind.

While China has traditionally supported sanctions against North Korea, it remains its sole major ally and economic partner. China seems to be in the mood to ease tensions with its neighbour which provides a buffer between itself and South Korea, a military ally of the United States. China also fought on North Korea’s side during the Korean war in the 1950s that was halted through an armistice agreement and not a peace treaty.

Jinping told the media that he was happy with the progress in the Korean peninsula and that relations between the two nations had been going good after his first meeting with Jong-un in March. His North Korean counterpart told the media that these were the positive outcomes of the meeting.

The South Korean daily Chosun Ilbo reported that meeting between Trump and Jong-un would liekly take place next month in Singapore.