China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi is on a three-day visit to North Korea where he's likely to deliberate upon among other things Pyongyang's widely scrutinised nuclear programme.During his visit beginning Monday, Yi is set to meet his North Korean counterpart Ri Yong Ho where they are expected to discuss denuclearization talks between Pyongyang and Washington.
China's Foreign Ministry officials said that Beijing "is willing to play a constructive role" in denuclearizing the Korean peninsula, and will help strengthen ties between the two, "ensuring peace and stability in northeast Asia."
In a retort carried by the state media, North Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui said that Pompeo's "thoughtless" comments escalated North Korean people's animosity toward Americans and made it harder for working-level nuclear negotiations between the two countries.
Earlier on Tuesday, Pompeo said Trump's administration recognized North Korea's "rogue behaviour could not be ignored", while adding that Washington was "telling the truth about the challenges we face."
Since the breakdown of negotiations in Hanoi, Pyongyang has repeatedly accused Washington of stalling the process and blamed Pompeo for maintaining a hard-line stance on sanctions.