China is set to send a vice premier to the Eastern Economic Forum(EEF), scheduled to open in Vladivostok, Russia, on Sunday, ending speculation over a possible trilateral summit between the leaders of North Korea, China and Russia.

According to Russia's state-run TASS news agency on Thursday, the Chinese Ambassador in Moscow, Zhang Hanhui, said Beijing will send a vice premier to the forum. He did not specify which of the current four - Ding Xuexiang, He Lifeng, Zhang Guoqing or Liu Guozhong - would attend.

Speculation has been brewing that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a summit on the sidelines of the regional conference, which is scheduled to run until next Wednesday, to discuss an arms deal.

The Chinese foreign ministry had previously said that it had no information to share when asked whether Chinese President Xi Jinping was expected to attend the forum.

[Photo : YONHAP News]