The New York Times:

BEIJING — A senior North Korean official arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for talks between his country and China, whose ties are formally close but have eroded recently because of the North’s nuclear weapons program.

North Korea’s state-run Central News Agency reported early Wednesday that the official, Ri Su-yong, told the Chinese that it was the “permanent” policy of the North to try to expand its nuclear arsenal while striving to rebuild its economy.

Hours before Mr. Ri’s arrival, North Korea tried unsuccessfully to fire an intermediate-range Musudan ballistic missile, the fourth failed attempt in two months, according to the Yonhap news agency in South Korea.

Mr. Ri, a former foreign minister who was recently promoted to the Politburo, came to discuss the recent congress in Pyongyang of the Workers’ Party, said a former senior Chinese official familiar with the visit as well as North Korea. The official declined to be identified given the sensitivity of the matter.