With a U.S.-China summit set for next month, Wang Yi, China's Minister of Foreign Affairs, will visit North Korea on the 9th–10th. The trip comes as exchanges between North Korea and China are gradually being restored, including the resumption of passenger rail and air services, and marks the first visit to North Korea by a senior Chinese official this year.
Mao Ning, Spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a regular briefing on the 8th that "China and North Korea are traditional and friendly neighbors connected by mountains and rivers," and said the Director General Wang plans to visit North Korea at the invitation of the North Korean side.
Mao, the Spokesperson, said, "Safeguarding, consolidating, and developing China–North Korea relations has always been the firm and unwavering strategic policy of China's party and government," adding, "This visit by Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi is an important step for China and North Korea to implement the common understandings of the top leaders of the two parties and the two countries and to drive the development of bilateral relations."
She added, "China is willing to work with North Korea to strengthen strategic communication, engage closely in exchanges and cooperation, and help ensure that the traditional friendly and cooperative relations between China and North Korea continue to develop."
Wang's visit to North Korea will be the first in about 6 years and 7 months since September 2019. In Pyongyang, Wang is expected to hold talks with Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui and meet Kim Jong-un, chairman of the State Affairs Commission. As a follow-up to the North Korea–China summit held in Beijing in September last year, the visit is expected to address cooperation in areas such as trade and tourism, as well as security issues on the Korean Peninsula and international matters.