Xi Jinping's North Korea visit aims to solve 'problems,' Beijing says

June 18 (UPI) -- China said Tuesday President Xi Jinping is to visit North Korea to pursue political solutions to the problems of the Korean Peninsula.

Beijing's foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said Tuesday at a regular press briefing Xi's first official visit to North Korea includes three objectives, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported.

The first objective is to "look back" on 70 years of diplomatic ties, then set the direction of a future China-North Korea relationship, Lu said.

The second objective is to "introduce" to each other the status of development in their respective nations.

The third objective is to "exchange opinions" on the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

"We will proceed to make new progress on a political resolution of the problems of the Korean Peninsula," Lu said.

The Beijing spokesman did not mention coordination with other stakeholders during the briefing, but according to South Korean newspaper Maeil Business, Seoul has been in communication with the Chinese government ahead of Xi's historic visit to Pyongyang.

"The South Korean government has been in close consultation regarding the China-North Korea meeting," a South Korea official told Maeil Business on the condition of anonymity.

Xi's visit to North Korea would take place ahead of major summits that could happen at the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, at the end of June.

Xi is likely to hold a summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Osaka, and with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, during the meeting of the G20.

China and North Korea have been cooperating more closely on policy since 2018, and more North Korean refugees have been forcibly repatriated from China as Xi and Kim have re-established friendly ties.

Human rights researchers have said young North Korean women refugees, including girls as young as 9, are being targeted in China's lucrative sex trade at the border. The illicit sex trade represents a growing $105 million industry that operates without interference from local Chinese authorities, researchers with Korea Future Initiative in London say.