SEOUL: Chinese President Xi Jinping is to start a two-day state visit to Pyongyang on Thursday to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ahead of next week鈥檚 G20 Summit in Japan.

It will be the first official visit by a Chinese leader to Pyongyang in 14 years. Xi鈥檚 visit, which comes at Kim鈥檚 invitation, takes place as China and North Korea lock horns with the US over trade and nuclear issues, respectively.

鈥淴i is expected to show off his strong influence over the Kim Jong Un regime, which is in a tug of war with the Trump administration over denuclearization and sanctions,鈥� Moon Sung Mook, a researcher in Seoul, told Arab News.

鈥淏ut I don鈥檛 think the Xi-Kim meeting will provide a clue as to the stalled nuclear disarmament talks between Pyongyang and Washington.鈥� Moon, a retired brigadier general, said Xi will likely support Kim鈥檚 stance on phased denuclearization efforts in return for incentives from the US.

鈥淐hina has long sided with North Korea鈥檚 assertions about a step-by-step denuclearization process and the halting of joint military exercises by the American and South Korean armed forces,鈥� said Moon.

鈥淭hey鈥檝e been quite successful as the joint exercises have been suspended, and I don鈥檛 believe Xi will add pressure on the North over sanctions,鈥� he added.

鈥淔or Kim, Xi鈥檚 visit will help ease his diplomatic crunch after the collapse of his (Kim鈥檚) summit with US President Donald Trump in Hanoi in February.鈥�

That summit broke down due to disagreements over how far North Korea should go in dismantling its nuclear programs in return for sanctions relief.

Washington has demanded that the North make a verifiable effort to get rid of all its nuclear weapons, including its enriched uranium program, before any sanctions are lifted.

In defiance of UN resolutions, North Korea has test-fired short-range multiple ballistic missiles over the eastern waters of the Korean Peninsula, further complicating the denuclearization talks.

But Pyongyang stopped short of firing intercontinental ballistic missiles, a red line drawn by the Trump administration.

Prof. Kim Dong Yub of Kyungnam University鈥檚 Institute for Far Eastern Studies said the North Korean leader is 鈥渦sing diplomatic leverage to deal with the US 鈥� in the face of US-led sanctions.鈥�

He added: 鈥淔or Xi, the North鈥檚 denuclearization won鈥檛 be a major issue among his agenda items as his country is locked in a standoff with Trump over trade and technology.鈥�

He said: 鈥淕iven the escalating trade war between Beijing and Washington, Xi鈥檚 trip to Pyongyang is obviously an important geopolitical move.鈥� Beijing has yet to confirm whether Xi will meet with Trump during the G20 Summit.

Meanwhile, South Korea鈥檚 presidential spokeswoman Ko Min Jung said: 鈥淲e expect this (Xi鈥檚) visit to contribute to the early resumption of talks for complete denuclearization and a permanent peace settlement on the Korean Peninsula.鈥�

Trump recently said he had received another 鈥渂eautiful鈥� letter from the North Korean leader, opening the door for his third summit with him.