US Secretary of State Mrs Madeleine Albright arrived in the North Korean capital yesterday for a landmark two-day visit that could pave the way for a historic trip by President Clinton.
Mrs Albright, the most senior Western official to visit communist North Korea, was met on arrival by Vice Foreign Minister Kim Gye-Gwan.
She is expected to meet North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong-Il. Albright is expected to press the North over its missile and suspect nuclear programmes that are a topic of major international concern. China's Defence Minister Gen Chi Haotian arrived in Pyongyang yesterday, ahead of the visit by Mrs Albright, and held talks with his counterpart, North Korean and Chinese media reported.
Gen Chi, a senior People's Liberation Army general, issued an arrival statement highlighting the importance of close ties with North Korea. Gen Chi, a veteran of the Korean War (1950-1953) lost little time in holding talks with his counterpart Kim Il-Chol.
"A deep friendship has been forged between the Chinese people and the Korean people and between the armies of the two countries during their joint long-term struggle against foreign aggressions," he said.
Terming the relationship between the two armies as "a vital part" of bilateral relations, Gen Chi said, the two armies have been maintaining close contacts at all levels. Gen Chi's trip is the first by a Chinese defence minister in seven years and was officially set to commemorate China's role in the Korean War. But his arrival significantly came only hours ahead of Mrs Albright. Beijing has been Pyongyang's main ally since the collapse of the Sovietbloc in the 1990s. The two states have a mutual defence pact.
Chinese officials have said Gen Chi's visit was not related to a possible trip by President Jiang Zemin, who they said would delay a planned visit to Pyongyang. Reports had said Jiang would visit North Korea in October but this is now expected to be put off until next year.
Western analysts have said China is increasingly concerned about losing influence as North Korea moves closer to South Korea and forges diplomatic ties with Western countries.
China fears Pyongyang will rely less on Beijing as it builds stronger economic and political ties with South Korea, the US and Japan.
Reported comments by North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il that he was not opposed to US troops staying in South Korea even after any eventual reunification alarmed Beijing.