China, North Korea envoys hold talks in Laos

TIL Desk/World/Beijing-Top envoys from China and North Korea held talks today on the sidelines of a regional summit in Laos as tensions run high on the Korean peninsula over Pyongyang’s nuclear programme. North Korea’s newly minted Foreign Minister Ri Yong-Ho, a former nuclear negotiator for the hermit state, and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi met in the capital Vientiane.

It is the first time Ri has attended a major diplomatic gathering since his appointment in May. A phalanx of security guards from both Laos and North Korea guarded the room where the meeting was taking place. Relations between Beijing and Pyongyang have frayed this year after North Korea’s fourth nuclear test and a series of missile launches put the region on edge.

In response to the new tests — the most recent of which was last Tuesday — Washington and Seoul announced plans to deploy a US missile defence system in South Korea, sparking fury in Pyongyang and concern in Beijing. Both Ri and Wang are attending a diplomatic gathering organised by the 10-member Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN).