BEIJING: A best Chinese envoy landed in North Korea today in a trip hailed as a "big move" via US President Donald Trump, who has prompt Beijing to pile pressure on its nuclear-armed best friend.
Diplomat Song Tao is visiting the North on behalf of President Xi Jinping to temporary officers on the contemporary Chinese Communist Party congress and other "issues of mutual interest", foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said.
He is the first primary Chinese envoy to discuss with Pyongyang in more than a 12 months with ties significantly strained between the 2 nations.
Analysts be expecting Song to deal with the nuclear standoff, which has roiled relations between the 2 Cold War-era allies as China has backed United Nations sanctions on North Korea over its missile checks and 6th nuclear blast.
Trump, who warned Xi throughout his trip to Beijing remaining week that point was once "quickly running out" to solve the nuclear crisis, took to Twitter on Thursday to hail the undertaking as "a big move, we'll see what happens!".
A temporary file from North Korea's state-run KCNA information company this morning confirmed Song had landed and met with Choe Ryong-Hae, a senior Pyongyang reputable and a detailed aide of chief Kim Jong-Un.
The file said Song told his hosts China sought after to "develop the traditional friendly relations between the two parties and countries" but contained no further details of what was once mentioned.
Washington needs China, which accounts for 90 per cent of North Korea's foreign business, to place more economic pressure on the reclusive regime.
But professionals doubt Song's discuss with will yield primary breakthroughs.
"China has virtually no political influence on North Korea. Its influence is derived from economic leverage," Bonnie Glaser, China expert on the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, told AFP.
"Relations are extremely stressed. Perhaps the lowest point since the Korean War," she said. "Perhaps (the mission) will put a floor under China-North Korea relations, preventing further deterioration."
China has imposed its own banking restrictions on North Koreans along with enacting a chain of UN measures that include bans on imports of coal, iron ore and seafood from the North.
But Beijing fears that squeezing Pyongyang too arduous would cause its collapse.
Song is the first Chinese envoy to make an reputable trip to North Korea since October 2016, when vice foreign minister Liu Zhenmin visited.
Geng gave scant details about the trip, saying he did not know who he would meet or what subjects he would discuss.
China's relations with North Korea are recently at "the lowest point they've been in history", leaving the North diplomatically at its maximum isolated, said Lu Chao, director of the North Korea Research Centre on the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences.
As a high-level diplomat, Song would likely meet immediately with North Korea's best leaders, he said.
"As far as North Korea is concerned, China's opinion is still an important one and will certainly arouse their full attention," Lu said.
As nuclear tensions have soared, Xi has pushed for negotiations and a "dual track approach" in which the United States would freeze its military drills within the area whilst North Korea halts its weapons programmes.
Trump claimed this week that Xi had agreed to drop his plan throughout their talks remaining week, but Beijing stood via its policy.
"We believe that at the moment, this is the most realistic, feasible, fair and reasonable plan," Geng told a typical information briefing.
Yuan Jingdong, a expert in Asia-Pacific safety problems on the University of Sydney, expects little from Song's undertaking.
"We can expect some face-saving, assuring but very general and abstract commitments with no substance changes in North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes," Yuan said.
The discuss with is "more about warning North Korea against going to extremes than forcing it to give up the nukes" because China's best precedence remains keeping up regional steadiness, he said.
Song would likely "assure Kim that if he behaves within a reasonable bound he can expect Beijing to continue providing some assistance and resist broadening the sanctions."
Diplomat Song Tao is visiting the North on behalf of President Xi Jinping to temporary officers on the contemporary Chinese Communist Party congress and other "issues of mutual interest", foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said.
He is the first primary Chinese envoy to discuss with Pyongyang in more than a 12 months with ties significantly strained between the 2 nations.
Analysts be expecting Song to deal with the nuclear standoff, which has roiled relations between the 2 Cold War-era allies as China has backed United Nations sanctions on North Korea over its missile checks and 6th nuclear blast.
Trump, who warned Xi throughout his trip to Beijing remaining week that point was once "quickly running out" to solve the nuclear crisis, took to Twitter on Thursday to hail the undertaking as "a big move, we'll see what happens!".
A temporary file from North Korea's state-run KCNA information company this morning confirmed Song had landed and met with Choe Ryong-Hae, a senior Pyongyang reputable and a detailed aide of chief Kim Jong-Un.
The file said Song told his hosts China sought after to "develop the traditional friendly relations between the two parties and countries" but contained no further details of what was once mentioned.
Washington needs China, which accounts for 90 per cent of North Korea's foreign business, to place more economic pressure on the reclusive regime.
But professionals doubt Song's discuss with will yield primary breakthroughs.
"China has virtually no political influence on North Korea. Its influence is derived from economic leverage," Bonnie Glaser, China expert on the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, told AFP.
"Relations are extremely stressed. Perhaps the lowest point since the Korean War," she said. "Perhaps (the mission) will put a floor under China-North Korea relations, preventing further deterioration."
China has imposed its own banking restrictions on North Koreans along with enacting a chain of UN measures that include bans on imports of coal, iron ore and seafood from the North.
But Beijing fears that squeezing Pyongyang too arduous would cause its collapse.
Song is the first Chinese envoy to make an reputable trip to North Korea since October 2016, when vice foreign minister Liu Zhenmin visited.
Geng gave scant details about the trip, saying he did not know who he would meet or what subjects he would discuss.
China's relations with North Korea are recently at "the lowest point they've been in history", leaving the North diplomatically at its maximum isolated, said Lu Chao, director of the North Korea Research Centre on the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences.
As a high-level diplomat, Song would likely meet immediately with North Korea's best leaders, he said.
"As far as North Korea is concerned, China's opinion is still an important one and will certainly arouse their full attention," Lu said.
As nuclear tensions have soared, Xi has pushed for negotiations and a "dual track approach" in which the United States would freeze its military drills within the area whilst North Korea halts its weapons programmes.
Trump claimed this week that Xi had agreed to drop his plan throughout their talks remaining week, but Beijing stood via its policy.
"We believe that at the moment, this is the most realistic, feasible, fair and reasonable plan," Geng told a typical information briefing.
Yuan Jingdong, a expert in Asia-Pacific safety problems on the University of Sydney, expects little from Song's undertaking.
"We can expect some face-saving, assuring but very general and abstract commitments with no substance changes in North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes," Yuan said.
The discuss with is "more about warning North Korea against going to extremes than forcing it to give up the nukes" because China's best precedence remains keeping up regional steadiness, he said.
Song would likely "assure Kim that if he behaves within a reasonable bound he can expect Beijing to continue providing some assistance and resist broadening the sanctions."
China envoy in N Korea visit, Trump hails 'big move'
![China envoy in N Korea visit, Trump hails 'big move']()
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November 18, 2017
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