North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho has stopped over in China ahead of a trip to Vietnam. 

Flanked by five to six attendants, he was received by the North Korean ambassador to China, Ji Jae-ryong, at the Beijing Capital International Airport on Thursday morning, soon after arriving on an Air Koryo flight. 

Ri was seen at the airport with Ji for more than two hours before getting into a sedan and leaving at around 1:20 p.m. It is speculated he will return to the airport soon, given his four-day visit to Vietnam begins on Thursday.

The North Korean minister is expected to meet with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and visit the country’s major industrial complexes, including one in the northeastern city of Hai Phong. 

While there, Ri will reportedly focus on studying the Southeast Asian communist country’s reform policies, known as Doi Moi.