시진핑, 방북 하루 앞두고 북한 노동신문에 기고…"한반도 문제 대화 진전에 기여할 것"

Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to play a bigger role in promoting peace on the Korean Peninsula... by strengthening Beijing's cooperation with Pyeongyang to resolve various issues.
This was the message he wrote for the regime's state-run newspaper on the eve of his state visit to North Korea.
Kan Hyeong-woo tells us more.
In a rare move,... Chinese President Xi Jinping wrote an op-ed piece on Wednesday for Rodong Sinmun,... North Korea's state-run newspaper,... ahead of his two-day visit to North Korea.
Xi stressed that Beijing will strengthen its communication and coordination with Pyeongyang... to make progress in resolving issues on the Korean Peninsula... and by doing so, China will actively contribute to bringing peace and security in the region. Xi added... that North Korea is headed in the right direction in trying to politically resolve the issues surrounding the Korean Peninsula.
Also saying that China is happy to see a historic opportunity,... the Chinese leader emphasized that Beijing is willing to draft long-term plans with Pyeongyang... for lasting peace in the region without further elaboration.
But Xi did not specifically use the word 'denuclearization' in his writing.
Meanwhile,... South Korea's Foreign Ministry said the impending North Korea-China summit means Kim Jong-un is willing to stay in the talks and the peace process on the Korean Peninsula is happening through negotiations.
The ministry added that the South Korean government is hopeful the Chinese leader's visit to the North... will help achieve complete denuclearization and bring lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.
But some experts are taking a more cautious approach to interpret Xi's visit to North Korea.
"I will say the new momentum created by Xi Jinping and Kim would be limited, it would be great but not enough to break the impasse, simply because the impasse was seen between Kim and Trump."
Xi's two-day visit to the North will mark the first time a Chinese leader travels to the North in fourteen years,.. whereas Kim Jong-un has visited China four times since last year.
Kan Hyeong-woo, Arirang News