President Trump wants China to help persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program, but the Chinese prefer a different strategy.
BEIJING — A North Korean delegation will attend a large multilateral economic summit in Beijing next week, China’s Foreign Ministry announced Tuesday, underlining its reluctance to join American efforts to completely isolate the regime in Pyongyang.
President Trump has set great store in China’s ability to help persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program. But although China says it has suspended coal imports from its neighbor, trade between the two nations has remained healthy.
On Sunday and Monday, leaders from 28 nations will attend a major event in Beijing — a forum on China’s ambitious development project known as the Belt and Road — meant to expand links between Asia, Europe and Africa and channel billions of dollars into infrastructure investment.
[World Exit polls suggest liberal Moon has won the South Korean presidential election]
“According to what I understand, the North Korean side will send an official delegation to relevant events at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation that will shortly be taking place, ” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a daily news conference. “China is open-minded. Any like-minded country, as long as you are interested, can participate in this initiative.”
South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported that Kim Yong-jae, the North Korean minister of external economic relations, would lead the delegation.
Ely Ratner, who served as deputy national security adviser to Vice President Joe Biden, seized on the announcement as evidence that Trump is placing too much confidence in the Chinese leadership.
