Chinese President to visit N Korea

SHANGHAI: Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to visit Pyongyang next month at the invitation of North Korea leader Kim Jon-Un to attend the celebrations of the 70th anniversary of North Korea´s founding, Singapore´s Straits Times newspaper reported. It will be the Chinese leader´s first visit to the North Korean capital since he took power in 2012, and 13 years after the last visit by a Chinese President, when Xi´s predecessor Hu Jintao visited in 2005, the newspaper said on Saturday. The Straits Times did not say where it obtained the information and the Chinese foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. North Korea´s celebrations are set to take place on Sept. 9 and the Straits Times said that Xi´s visit could still be subject to last-minute changes. China is the reclusive country´s most important trading partner and Kim has visited China three times so far this year.