North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has canceled his planned visit to Moscow this week in accordance with his own "schedule," Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Cheng Guoping said Monday.

The Kremlin said last week that Kim will not come to Moscow to attend a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, dashing hopes for a global debut of the young leader, who took power of the reclusive state in late 2011.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is among the world leaders to attend the May 9 ceremony, with most Western leaders shunning it amid tensions over Russia's role in Ukraine.

Asked about the no-show of Kim in Moscow, Cheng replied, "As for North Korea and the absence of their leader, it is a decision made by their own leader according to their schedule."

Cheng was speaking at a press briefing about Xi's visit to Russia.

Russia gave few details about why Kim canceled his visit to Moscow, other than saying "international North Korean issues."

"As for China, we hope that the Korean Peninsula could maintain the current situation and the North Korean nuclear issue could be peacefully resolved through six-party talks," Cheng said.

Earlier in the day, North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency said the North's ceremonial head of state, Kim Yong-nam, who serves as president of the North's Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, would visit Russia for this week's commemoration events.

The U.S. and other Western powers have criticized Russia for annexing the Crimean peninsula and for supporting pro-Russian separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine, prompting their leaders to boycott the May 9 event in Moscow.

Despite the simmering standoff over Ukraine, Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin have forged closer ties.

Last week, China's defense ministry announced that Beijing will conduct its first joint naval drill with Moscow in the Mediterranean Sea this month.

Asked whether Xi's visit to Moscow this week would further deepen ties between the two nations, Cheng replied, "China and Russia are important strategic partners."

Cheng said the bilateral relationship between China and Russia "has been growing at the highest level and our relationship is special and significant." (Yonhap)