China’s President Meets North Korean Leader Ahead Of Trump Summit

A photo of Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Beijing on March 27, 2018.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have met in China for unannounced talks ahead of an expected summit involving Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump.

Shortly after the May 8 meeting was announced by Chinese state media, Trump said on Twitter that he would speak to his “friend” Xi about North Korea.

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV showed Xi and Kim walking at the seaside in China’s northeastern city of Dalian on May 8.

The official Xinhua news agency said the two leaders met on both May 7 and May 8.

It was Kim’s second visit to China since March, highlighting efforts by the two countries to mend ties that had soured after Beijing supported UN sanctions against North Korea for its nuclear-weapons tests.

Trump and Kim are expected to meet in June to discuss the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Trump has said he will soon announce the location and date for the summit.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, CCTV, and Xinhua