Two North Korean women stand between tombstones during the inauguration of a Korean War military cemetery in the capital Pyongyang on Thursday. Selected remains of North Korean soldiers deemed to be heroes of the war were relocated from around the country to the new site. Photo: AFP

Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao arrived in Pyongyang on Thursday to attend activities in commemoration of the 60th anniversary for the truce of the Korea War (1950-53) in a trip that analysts said is expected to reshape ties between China and North Korea.

Li is the highest ranking Chinese official to visit the North since Kim Jong-un took over as leader of the country in December 2011.

There are speculations that Li would hand over a personal letter to Kim from Chinese President Xi Jinping, but Zhang Liangui, an expert on Korean issues from the International Strategic Research Bureau at the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, said judging from official statements from the two countries so far, such a scenario is unlikely.

"Li is not visiting as a special envoy of Xi, so I think he might verbally convey messages of Chinese leaders to Kim during their meetings," he noted.

On Thursday Kim inaugurated a new cemetery in Pyongyang for veterans of the Korean War designated as "heroes of the republic," AFP reported.

The North is also preparing Saturday's parade of military hardware, a major part of the 60th anniversary of the war that Pyongyang is eager to have foreign delegations witness.

Although the Chinese Foreign Ministry said the trip is for the anniversary of the armistice of the war, the international community is closely watching whether leaders of the two countries will discuss the North Korean nuclear issue.

Relations between China and the North cooled following Pyongyang's third nuclear test in February.

"Li is likely to repeat China's position of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and urge the North to return to the Six-Party Talks in meetings with North Korean leaders," Zhang said.

"But the North has repeatedly vowed not to give up its nuclear rights, so Pyongyang's response to China's policy this time will decide how their relations will be reshaped in the near future," he added.