China's President Xi Jinping (R) and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un
shaking hands during their meeting in Beijing on March 27, 2018. AFP
PHOTO | KCNA VIA KNS
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was treated to a lavish welcome
by Chinese President Xi Jinping during a secretive trip to Beijing as
both sides seek to repair frayed ties ahead of landmark summits
with Seoul and Washington.
with Seoul and Washington.
On his first trip abroad since
taking power, Kim and his wife were met with honour guards and a banquet
hosted by Xi, according to state media, which confirmed the
"unofficial" visit on Wednesday only after Kim had returned to North
Korea.
The two men held talks at the stately Great Hall
of the People during which they hailed their nations' historic
relations, with Kim pledging that he was "committed to denuclearisation"
on the Korean peninsula, according to China's Xinhua news agency.
"There
is no question that my first foreign visit would be to the Chinese
capital," Kim said, according to North Korea's official KCNA news
agency.
"This is my solemn duty as someone who should value and continue the DPRK-PRC relations through generations."
Invitation
KCNA said Xi accepted an invitation to visit Pyongyang, which
would be his first trip to the North Korean capital since he took power
in 2012.
The two men had not met since Kim took over
after the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, in 2011, and relations have
been strained as China has backed a raft of UN sanctions against
Pyongyang over its nuclear and missile tests.
But Xi
underscored the importance of developing ties, saying it was "a
strategic choice and the only right choice" and that he was willing to
maintain frequent contact with Kim "under the new circumstances",
according to Xinhua.
Xi and Kim shook hands and sat
across from each other at a long conference table, both flanked by
officials, at the Great Hall of the People, according to television
images which showed the North Korean leader taking meticulous notes.
Later, Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, waved goodbye while Kim and his spouse, Ri Sol Ju, smiled as they left in a black car.
Chinese and North Korean state media said the visit started Sunday and ended Wednesday.
Analysts
said Xi likely wanted to see Kim to ensure North Korea does not cut a
deal with US President Donald Trump that hurts Chinese interests during a
summit expected to be held in May.
Beijing had
appeared sidelined by Pyongyang's approaches to Seoul and Washington,
but Kim's visit puts China firmly back at the centre of the diplomatic
game.
"It shows that at this crucial juncture, Kim and
Xi believed that it was time to seize the opportunity to consult,"
Bonnie Glaser, a China expert at the Washington-based Center for
Strategic and International Studies, told AFP.
"Both likely concluded that further deterioration in relations would be harmful."
Deng
Yuwen, an independent Chinese international relations scholar, said
North Korea needed to turn to its old ally ahead of the US summit, as
Kim will be sceptical that Trump will guarantee the security of his
regime.
"North Korea needs the big brother to protect it at a crucial moment," Deng said.
Trump informed
Xinhua said Kim expressed his willingness to hold summits with Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
"The
issue of denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula can be resolved, if
South Korea and the United States respond to our efforts with goodwill,
create an atmosphere of peace and stability while taking progressive and
synchronous measures for the realisation of peace," Kim said, according
to Xinhua.
South Korea said last month after talks
with Kim in Pyongyang that he would consider abandoning his nuclear
weapons in exchange for US security guarantees, and flagged a halt to
weapons tests while talks were under way.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said Trump received a personal note from Xi about Kim's visit on Tuesday.
"We
see this development as further evidence that our campaign of maximum
pressure is creating the appropriate atmosphere for dialogue with North
Korea," Sanders said.
Confirmation of the visit ended
24 hours of speculation about the identity of a mysterious North Korean
visitor after Japanese media spotted a green train, similar to the one
used by Kim's father, arriving in Beijing on Monday and departing the
following day.
During the news blackout, a heavy police presence at key venues, barricades and mysterious motorcades hinted at his presence.
North Korea's official Rodong Sinmun
newspaper on Wednesday featured photos of Chinese officials greeting
Kim and his wife with flowers at the train station, and his motorcade
being escorted by police motorbikes in front of the Forbidden City.
Frayed ties
His
visit to China came as a surprise given the state of relations between
the Cold War-era allies, which fought together in the 1950-53 Korean
War.
China chaired six-party talks on North Korea that
collapsed a decade ago, but its calls to revive that forum have not been
heeded so far and Beijing appeared to be on the margins when South
Korea announced that Kim had offered to meet with Moon and Trump.
Frustrated
by its neighbour's nuclear weapons programme and under pressure from
Trump, China has used its economic leverage to squeeze Kim's regime.
At
the same time, Beijing fears the collapse of the regime in Pyongyang
and the instability it would bring, potentially sending waves of
refugees into China and the possibility of US troops stationed on its
border in a unified Korea.
But Kim's visit appears to have put relations appear back on track, with Xi inviting Kim and his wife to visit China again.
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