North Korean Ministers Hold Talks In Beijing

North Korea's foreign minister held talks with his Chinese counterpart in Beijing on Tuesday, a week after Pyongyang's leader Kim Jong-un made a surprise trip to China before planned summits with the US and South Korean presidents.

The latest visit, disclosed by China's foreign ministry, is part of a flurry of diplomacy that has eased regional tensions after months of bellicose rhetoric between the United States and North Korea over Pyongyang's nuclear programme.

Photos posted on the ministry's Weibo social media account showed Foreign Minister Wang Yi and North Korea's Ri Yong-ho smiling as they shook hands and sitting for talks.

Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang indicated that Ri's visit would be short. Wang is scheduled to be in Russia on Wednesday. "Details on the meeting will be provided in a timely manner," Geng said.

North Korea's official KCNA news agency said Ri was heading a government delegation that left on Tuesday for a conference of foreign ministers of the Non-Aligned Movement in Azerbaijan.

Ri will also visit Russia and other former Soviet states. (AFP)