Chinese President Xi Jinping intends to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to be held in Gyeongju from late October to early November, the Japanese news agency Kyodo reported on the 29th, citing multiple sources from the Chinese government who communicated this to South Korea.
According to the report, China is also considering making President Xi's visit to South Korea an official one. An official visit means a foreign head of state visits upon an official invitation from the president.
Kyodo noted, 'Despite the ongoing political turmoil in South Korea, China has shown a stance of valuing South Korea' and reported that China is eager for an early convening of the trilateral summit to be held in Japan.
The trilateral summit usually includes the President of South Korea, the Premier of the China State Council, and the Prime Minister of Japan.
Kyodo pointed out that the push for President Xi's visit to South Korea is related to the Chinese leadership seeking to strengthen cooperation with South Korea and Japan around North Korea's denuclearization.
According to Kyodo, China feels a sense of crisis over its inability to prevent North Korea from pursuing nuclear and missile development while enhancing military cooperation with Russia.
Last October, China temporarily recalled Wang Yajun, its ambassador to North Korea, as a gesture of protest against North Korea, the agency reported.
Furthermore, Kyodo added that China judged that a 'strategic opportunity' arose to approach South Korea and Japan as the Donald Trump administration in the U.S. moved towards isolationism, which is also the background for seeking cooperation with South Korea and Japan.