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North Korean art troupe to visit China: state media

A man selling US, Chinese and North Korean flags reacts toward a photographer on the banks of the Yalu River overlooking the North Korean town of Sinuiju, in Dandong in China's Liaoning Province, April 1, 2017. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

BEIJING (Reuters) - A North Korean art troupe will visit China starting on Wednesday, Chinese state media said on Sunday. The troupe will led by Ri Su Yong, a vice-chairman of the ruling Workers' Party's Central Committee and director of its International Department, the official Xinhua news agency said, without providing other details. China has sought to remain front and center in diplomatic efforts over Pyongyang. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met with Chinese President Xi Jinping for the fourth time earlier this month, ahead of Kim's second summit with U.S. President Donald Trump. The White House said on Friday the summit between Trump and Kim will be held in late February. An all-female North Korean pop band formed by Kim abruptly canceled a Beijing concert and headed back home to Pyongyang without performing in late 2015. (Reporting by Philip Wen; editing by John Stonestreet)