N. Korean envoy meets China president A NORTH Korean envoy has handed China's President Xi Jinping a letter from leader Kim Jong-Un in a sign Pyongyang may be backing away from confrontation with the international community. Choe Ryong-Hae told Xi North Korea is willing to take positive actions to solve problems through dialogue, the official Xinhua news agency said on Friday, after months of high tensions over Pyongyang's nuclear program. The report did not disclose the contents of the letter. But it quoted Choe as saying dialogue included the long-stalled six-party talks aimed at Pyongyang's denuclearisation, which are chaired by China and also bring together North Korea, South Korea, the United States, Russia and Japan. Choe also said North Korea needs to create a peaceful regional environment as well as developing its economy and improve its people's livelihoods. A vice marshal and director of the Korean People's Army's General Political Bureau, Choe is said to be a close confidant of Kim, who has led North Korea for more than a year since the death of his father Kim Jong-Il in late 2011. China is North Korea's key economic benefactor and diplomatic protector. Analysts had said they were watching who in the Chinese hierarchy Choe would get to meet for clues concerning the visit's ultimate success. Xi, China's paramount leader, stressed China's longstanding views. "China has a very clear position concerning the issue that all the parties involved should stick to the objective of denuclearisation, safeguard the peace and stability on the peninsula, and resolve disputes through dialogue and consultation," Xi said, according to Xinhua. Chinese state television's main evening news broadcast showed footage of the meeting in Beijing's Great Hall of the People, with Choe wearing a dark, high-collared North Korean-style suit, in contrast to other meetings in which he appeared in military uniform. On his chest a badge commonly worn by North Korean officials displaying images of Kim Il-Sung, the country's founding father, and his son Kim Jong-Il was visible. Choe's talks with Xi culminated three days of discussions with other officials in which he made similar statements about solving problems through dialogue. Their content is in dramatic contrast to months of harsh sabre-rattling out of Pyongyang, in particular after the United Nations strengthened sanctions against it following an atomic test in February.