This picture taken on November 17, 2017 and released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency shows Song Tao attending a meeting with Choe Ryong-Hae (2nd R)
Reuters: China says will work with North Korea to boost ties as envoy visits
BEIJING/SEOUL (Reuters) - Traditional friendship between China and North Korea represents “valuable wealth” for their people, China said after its special envoy met a high-ranking North Korean official, but there was no mention of the crisis over North Korea’s weapons.
Song Tao, who heads the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s international department, is visiting Pyongyang to discuss the outcome of the recently concluded Communist Party Congress in China, at which President Xi Jinping cemented his power.
In a brief statement dated Friday but reported by Chinese media on Saturday, the international department said Song, who is there representing Xi, reported to North Korean official Choe Ryong Hae the outcome of the congress.
Song and Choe also talked about relations between their parties and countries, the department said.
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Update #1: China stresses steady development of friendly ties with N.K. (Korea Herald, Yonhap)
Update #2: Chinese, N.Korean envoys discuss regional concerns: state media (AFP)
WNU Editor: The Chinese sent their senior bureaucrat in their foreign affairs office to North Korea, and the North Koreans sent a close aide to North Korean leader Jim Jong-un. The person the North Koreans should have sent to such a meeting is their foreign minister or their deputy foreign minister .... this would have helped cement future talks between the two ministries (foreign ministries rarely conduct their two way communications with a personal aide of the leader .... they will talk with their counterpart). My impression of this meeting is that the Chinese are trying to establish a dialogue .... and the North Koreans are responding by giving the Chinese their due respect, but they are not interested in continuing a discussion. The above photo is also very revealing ... the Chinese have a big delegation, the North Koreans have an interpreter, and someone writing down notes. No lower rank North Korean officials present to talk with their lower-rank Chinese counterparts.
