The world hopes North Korea and the US can talk to each other and for those talks to be successful, Chinese president Xi Jinping told North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Thursday. Mr Xi is visiting North Korea, seeking to bolster a longtime ally hit by UN sanctions over its nuclear and missile programmes, a week before Mr Xi and US president Donald Trump meet amid a bitter trade dispute. Mr Kim and his wife, Ri Sol-ju, greeted Mr Xi at the airport, Chinese state TV said. Mr Kim told Mr Xi that in the last year or so North Korea had taken many positive steps to avoid tensions. Mr Kim has visited Mr Xi in China four times since last year.

Source: The Irish Times June 20, 2019 17:48 UTC