China Sends Higher-Ranking Official Than a Decade Ago
Xi Jinping Will Not Visit North Korea
Li Qiang, Premier of the State Council and the second-highest-ranking official in China, will visit North Korea to attend celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea, according to announcements by both North Korean and Chinese authorities.
The Korean Central News Agency reported on the 7th that, at the invitation of the North Korean government, Premier Li will lead a party and government delegation to attend the celebrations and pay an official friendship visit to North Korea.
On the same day, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs also announced on its website that, at the invitation of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea and the government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Chinese Premier Li Qiang will lead a Chinese party and government delegation to North Korea from October 9 to 11 to attend the 80th anniversary celebrations of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea and make an official goodwill visit.
This marks a higher level of delegation compared to the 70th anniversary military parade in Pyongyang in 2015, when Liu Yunshan, then the fifth-highest-ranking official in China and a member of the Politburo Standing Committee as well as Secretary of the Secretariat, visited North Korea.
Some had speculated that Chinese President Xi Jinping might visit Pyongyang on this occasion, but it is now expected that he will not visit North Korea and will instead attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to be held in Gyeongju, South Korea, later this month.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
