An envoy from North Korea has signaled that his country would accept dialogue with China leading the way to possible nuclear talks, The New York Times reported, citing state media. The report in state-owned China News Service comes after North Korea’s envoy, Vice Marshal Choe Ryong-hae, met with Communist Party official Liu Yunshan in Beijing. Choe is seen by analysts as a close aide to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un leading many to speculate that his visit to China was an attempt to repair relations between the two countries. An analyst quoted by the Times believes Choe’s trip could be interpreted as an apology to China.