Chinese President Xi Jinping may visit North Korea as early as next week, Yonhap News reported, citing government officials, as Beijing and Pyongyang move to strengthen longstanding ties.

¡°There¡¯s a high possibility of Xi Jinping visiting North Korea late this month or early next month,¡± Yonhap reported.

China¡¯s security and protocol teams recently visited Pyongyang, the news agency reported, without identifying its sources by name. The Chinese Foreign Ministry didn¡¯t immediately respond to a request for comment.