Chinese Foreign Ministry not commenting on Kim Jong-il's visit
BEIJING. May 4. KAZINFORM China's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday neither confirmed nor denied that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is currently in China; Kazinform refers to RIA Novosti.
"At present I cannot provide you with information on this issue," ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said when asked to comment on Kim's alleged visit to China.
On Monday, media carried reports that a train with Kim Jong-il arrived in the town of Dandong in China's province of Liaoning that borders North Korea. On Tuesday, Chinese media said a group of North Korean artists arrived in China, with Kim being the director of a performance they wanted to stage.
When asked many times to comment on Kim's alleged visit, Yu said her ministry "is not the body responsible for issues of bilateral relations between China and North Korea," adding that "other departments deal with that."
Kim visited China in 2000, 2004 and 2006. Pyongyang and Beijing traditionally inform the public of such visits after their completion.
Reports of the North Korean leader's planned visit to China trickled throughout April, but the Chinese Foreign Ministry did not confirm them. Observers say the North Korean nuclear program and China's possible assistance to the reclusive communist state could be discussed during the visit; Kazinform cites RIA Novosti.
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