One of China’s top leaders will lead a delegation to North Korea this week

BEIJING (AP) — A top Chinese leader will lead a delegation to North Korea this week. China’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that Zhao Leji would visit the isolated country from Thursday to Saturday. He is chairman of the National People’s Congress and considered the No. 3 official in China’s ruling Communist Party. No details were released on what was described as a goodwill visit, except that the delegation would attend the opening ceremony for the “China-North Korea Friendship Year.” A dispatch from North Korea’s official KCNA news agency also announced the trip. Zhao is one of seven members of the Politburo Standing Committee, the top leaders of the Communist Party.