South Korean diplomatic authorities are placing weight on the possibility that Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit North Korea on June 11, amid growing speculation that a trip is imminent.
According to diplomatic sources on Tuesday, South Korean diplomatic authorities consider it highly likely that Xi will visit North Korea on June 11, the 65th anniversary of the signing of the DPRK-China Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance. While earlier observations suggested Xi might travel to Pyongyang in late last month or early this month, authorities now view a visit next month as more natural given various Chinese diplomatic schedules.
There are also observations that Xi will visit North Korea in the second week of June, when China's major diplomatic events conclude. Earlier, U.S.-based North Korea-focused outlet NK News reported that "a large structure presumed to be a reviewing stand has been spotted under construction at Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung Square, and aircraft accommodation space is being prepared at Pyongyang International Airport," suggesting Xi could visit early this month.
However, diplomatic circles reportedly view a June visit as more plausible in line with diplomatic convention, given that the U.S.-China summit and the China-Russia summit were held back-to-back last month.
The fact that Beijing-to-Pyongyang flights have been substantially reorganized for June 11 also reinforces this assessment by diplomatic authorities. Authorities have reportedly recently detected that some flights with 128-seat capacity on June 11 have been upgraded to 247 seats, and that a Boeing 747 cargo aircraft has been added as a supplementary flight.
"We are closely monitoring developments related to whether and when Chairman Xi will visit North Korea, taking into account various diplomatic schedules and overall circumstances," a Foreign Ministry official said.
Should Xi's visit materialize, observers expect key discussions to center on China's maritime access through the Tumen River, economic cooperation between North Korea and China, and the expansion of trilateral cooperation among North Korea, China and Russia.
