US highlights shared denuclearization goal ahead of Xi's NK trip
WASHINGTON — The State Department reiterated Friday that U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping reaffirmed their shared goal of denuclearizing North Korea during their summit in Beijing last month, as Xi is set to travel to Pyongyang next week.
Xi plans to visit the North on Monday and Tuesday in what would be his first trip there since 2019, according to Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency. "In Beijing, President Trump and President Xi confirmed their shared goal to denuclearize North Korea," a department spokesperson told Yonhap News Agency in response to a request for comment.
The remarks apparently reflected the Trump administration's hope for Xi to play a role in bringing North Korea back to dialogue and encouraging it to move toward denuclearization.
On Thursday, the State Department reaffirmed that the Trump administration remains open to dialogue with Pyongyang "without preconditions," and that it remains committed to the "complete" denuclearization of North Korea.
- Xi Jinping set for North Korea trip on Monday in first visit to Pyongyang in seven years Euronews —
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- Xi to Leave China for First Time This Year. Destination: Pyongyang. Wall Street Journal —
- Xi Jinping will travel to North Korea next week in first visit since 2019 NPR —
- China’s Xi to visit North Korea The Korea Herald —