North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday in Dalian in China’s Liaoning Province, reported Reuters. This was their second meeting in two months, and came ahead of the North Korean leader’s proposed meeting with United States President Donald Trump.

Kim thanked China for supporting his country’s efforts to denuclearise the Korean peninsula, reported Chinese state media agency Xinhua. “It has been the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s consistent and clear stand to achieve denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula,” the North Korean leader said. “As long as relevant parties abolish their hostile policies and remove security threats against the DPRK, there is no need for the DPRK to be a nuclear state and denuclearisation can be realised.”

Kim said he hoped that North Korea and the United States would build mutual trust through dialogue, reported Xinhua.

Xi praised Kim for “promoting inter-Korean dialogue and easing tension”, CNN quoted the Chinese foreign ministry as saying. “The two sides should maintain frequent exchanges, strengthen strategic communication, deepen understanding and mutual trust, and safeguard common interests,” the Chinese president said.

Top-level officials from the two countries attended the summit, including Kim’s sister Kim Yo-Jong and Wang Huning, a member of China’s powerful seven-man Politburo Standing Committee, reported CNN.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump tweeted that he would speak to Xi on Tuesday about trade relations between the two countries, and North Korea.

The North Korean leader met South Korean President Moon Jae-in in a historic peace summit held in South Korea’s Panmunjom village on April 27. The two nations vowed to end the Korean War and denuclearise the Korean peninsula. Moon will meet Trump in Washington on May 22 to co-ordinate their North Korea policy ahead of the summit with Kim, reported Financial Times.