China confirms Kim Jong-un invite to WWII commemoration

BEIJING — China confirmed today (April 14) it has invited North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to attend commemorative activities for the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II to be held in Beijing this summer.

If Mr Kim accepts, it will be his first visit to China since coming to power in 2011.

Asked during a regular press briefing whether Beijing had sent an invite to the leader, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei responded in the affirmative, saying “we have already sent invitations to the leaders of relevant countries”.

“We are currently in communication with each country’s leaders,” he added, without referring to Mr Kim by name.

North Korea’s leader is one of many invited to take part in the commemorative events to mark what China calls the end of the 1937 to 1945 “War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression”.

Among the activities planned for the occasion is a rare military parade to be presided over by President Xi Jinping.

Relations between China and North Korea have languished in recent years, a marked contrast to the close ties the countries shared during the rule of Mr Kim’s father, Kim Jung Il.

The cooler ties are generally attributed to China’s frustration with its neighbour’s nuclear ambitions. KYODO NEWS