Moon to visit China:

Asia

South Korean President Moon Jae-in will visit China next week for a trilateral summit with Japan amid rising tension over stalled denuclearisation talks between North Korea and the United States, Moon’s office said on Tuesday.

Moon is scheduled to arrive in China on Dec 23, one day before the planned trilateral meeting in the southwestern city of Chengdu with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, his spokeswoman Ko Min-jung told a briefing.

The leaders would review the recent situation on the peninsula and discuss ways to boost three-way cooperation to achieve denuclearisation and permanent peace, Ko said.

Moon is also expected to hold separate talks with Abe and also Chinese President Xi Jinping during that trip. The meeting comes amid a war of words that has rekindled in recent days between North Korea and the United States ahead of a year-end deadline set by Pyongyang for Washington to soften its stance in negotiations.

North Korea has also conducted a series of weapons tests, including what it called a “very significant” test at its missile launch site on Sunday.

Moon would seek to consult Xi on the recent developments as South Korea sees China as instrumental in reviving the nuclear talks due to its status as a longtime ally of North Korea, officials in Seoul said.

“We’re watching very carefully various related circumstances that are happening between North Korea and the United States, and we’re very cautious to forejudge anything and predict the future,” an official at Moon’s office told reporters. (RTRS)

Moon