N Korea said to snub Chinese diplomats as tensions mount

SEOUL: North Korea snubbed senior Chinese diplomats this month as tensions mounted with the US, according to people familiar with the situation, raising questions about the influence Beijing’s leaders have over Kim Jong Un.

Pyongyang didn’t respond to requests from China Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Wu Dawei, the country’s top envoy for North Korean nuclear affairs, to meet with their North Korean counterparts, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the discussions were private.

The overtures came after Chinese President Xi Jinping met with his US counterpart Donald Trump in Florida, the people said.