13:23, 03-May-2018
Korean Peninsula Diplomacy: China's FM Wang Yi meets Ri Yong Ho in Pyongyang
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China's State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi has visited Pyongyang. His trip comes at the invitation of his counterpart Ri Yong Ho, and just days following the historic summit between the South and North. MA Ke has more.
A seasoned mediator when it comes to the DPRK. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has met his counterpart Ri Yong Ho in Pyongyang. It's the first visit by a top diplomat from Beijing in more than ten years.
Wang paid his respects at the tombs of the two DPRK past leaders after talks with Ri and laid a wreath at the Sino-Korean Friendship Tower that honors the Chinese soldiers who fought in the Korean War.
The visit is a follow up to Kim Jong Un's four-day trip to Beijing in March. The Chinese Foreign Ministry says denuclearisation will top the foreign minister's agenda.
HUA CHUNYING, SPOKESPERSON CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY "China has always insisted on a denuclearized Korean Peninsula in order to maintain peace and stability in the region. We have always insisted on finding a solution that responds to the appropriate concerns of all relevant parties through dialogue and negotiation."
Things are changing on the peninsula - the US may hold talks with the DPRK within weeks Some observers say Beijing has been sidelined on the DPRK issue. But others say China is vital to the process, because the DPRK still needs Beijing.
YANG XIYU, SENIOR FELLOW CHINA INSTITUTE OF INT'L STUDIES "As historical and existing strategic factors here, nobody, no party have the capability (of excluding) China from any fundamental negotiation or solution regarding the peninsula and the region as well."
China has been promoting a "double suspension" mechanism - the DPRK suspending its nuclear activities in exchange for the suspension of US-South Korea military exercises, and it hopes all parties involved could return to the negotiating table.