Chinese President Xi Jinping will make his first state visit to the United States in September, China’s foreign ministry said Wednesday, a visit timed to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the United Nations.
China’s foreign ministry spokesman Hua Chunying told reporters that Xi accepted an invitation by U.S. President Barack Obama to visit the country during a telephone conversation earlier in the day.
Hua said the two sides “agreed to make full preparations to ensure the success of the visit” during the telephone conversation.
The announcement came as U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken was in Beijing to meet senior Chinese officials.
North Korea’s nuclear weapons program remains at the top of the bilateral agenda between the U.S. and China.
Obama last met Xi in Beijing last November during which they vowed to achieve “complete denuclearization” of North Korea. (Yonhap)
