GETTING ALONG?

China Optimistic for North Korean Envoy Visit

Hope to ease regional tensions.

Special North Korean envoy Choe Ryong-hae is in China this week and Chinese officials really hope that his visit—the first by a high-ranking Kim Jong-un official in six months—will help smooth over what’s been a tense few months in the region and, in particular, encourage North Korea to give up on its nuclear ambitions. “In recent years, the state of affairs around the Korean peninsula nuclear issue frequently turns into one escalation of tensions after another,” Gen. Fan Chonglong, vice chairman of China’s Central Military Commission reportedly told Xinhua state news agency. “The conflicting strategies of all parties have intensified, jeopardizing peace.”