N Korean Foreign Minister to visit China tomorrow

North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho, at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, will embark on a three-day visit to the country from December 6 to December 8, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Geng Shuang, the spokesperson, said that the visit is aimed at enhancing the relations between China and North Korea. During the visit, the North Korean Foreign Minister will hold talks with his Chinese counterpart on ways of strengthening bilateral ties, Xinhua reported.

Relations between Pyongyang and Beijing witnessed an upward trend since this year, following North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's visit to the country three times -- twice to Beijing and once to the northeastern city of Dalian - and meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping on all the occasions. The two leaders held talks on ways to improve bilateral ties and North Korea's denuclearisation issue.

Prior to the upbeat relations, ties between the two nations strained following North Korea's massive development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles in the past few years. China has repeatedly called for the communist country's denuclearisation, for achieving long-lasting peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula.