Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping will discuss North Korea's nuclear programme with top North Korean leaders in Pyongyang later his month, the foreign ministry said on Thursday, according to DPA. "During his visit, the main leaders will meet him," ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters. "We also hope that by the visit, China and the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) will exchange views on bilateral relations, and international and regional issues of mutual concern, including the nuclear issue," Qin said. Qin comments suggest that Xi is likely to meet North Korea's top leader, Kim Jong Il, whose last reported talks on the nuclear issue with senior Chinese officials came in January. After the January talks, China quoted Kim as saying North Korea would honour its commitments under a six-nation agreement to dismantle its nuclear programme. Envoys from the six nations involved in the nuclear talks - North Korea, the United States, China, South Korea, Japan and Russia - held several bilateral meetings in late May in an effort to kickstart the negotiations. North Korea agreed to disable and later dismantle its nuclear weapons programme in return for energy aid and other concessions from the other five nations. But a key sticking point is North Korea's failure to meet the agreed deadline to disclose full details of its nuclear programmes by the end of last year. "It needs greater efforts of related parties to enhance communication and coordination, mutual understanding and trust, as well as overcome difficulties so as to march towards the goal of denuclearization," Qin said of the six-party talks earlier this week.
