Secretive North Korean leader Kim Jong-il reportedly began another day of tours of high-tech companies in southern China yesterday, part of what could be a trip to study reforms to boost his country's decrepit economy.
Neither side has confirmed Kim's visit to China, which reportedly has included stops in Guangzhou, the mainland's southern business capital, and Shenzhen, a technology center that borders Hong Kong.
South Korea's Yonhap News Agency said Kim had planned on Saturday to meet Chinese President Hu Jintao, who was in Xiamen, a coastal city northeast of Shenzhen and a short flight from Guangzhou.
Yesterday, the front pages of Chinese newspapers showed pictures of Hu shaking hands with representatives of Taiwanese businesses in Xiamen. No mention was made of Kim or a meeting with him.
Beijing is under pressure from Washington to use its influence as Pyongyang's last main ally to restart six-nation talks aimed at eliminating the isolated North's nuclear programs.
Talks have stalled over North Korea's anger at US-imposed sanctions for alleged counterfeiting and other wrongdoing by the North.
In September, negotiators announced a breakthrough when Pyongyang pledged to give up its nuclear program in exchange for aid and security assurances. Follow-up negotiations have gone nowhere.
Japan's Kyodo News agency said Kim left a hotel in Shenzhen yesterday to continue his tour, which would include a visit to port facilities.
A woman at the reservation desk of the Wuzhou Guest House, where Yonhap said Kim was staying, said vacant rooms were hard to come by because of ``business meetings'' that were being held there. She hung up when asked about Kim.
The Shenzhen traffic police office said the area outside was closed off to traffic yesterday morning. A woman who answered the telephone at the office said it was ``not clear'' why the measures were being taken and refused to give her name.
A duty officer at the city government said he had not received any information on a visit by Kim.
Media speculation has run the gamut since Tuesday, when the North Korean leader's armored train reportedly crossed into China. At one point, he was also said to have been in Russia.
Japan's NTV and TBS networks broadcast what they said were scenes of Kim's motorcade in Guangzhou and him aboard a boat on the city's Pearl River.
Japanese public broadcaster NHK on Saturday showed a figure believed to be Kim walking around a hotel entrance in Shenzhen. In other footage, NHK showed what appeared to be Kim seated at a table in a banquet hall.
The North's state-run economy has been crippled by widespread hunger and the end of Soviet subsidies in the early 1990s.
North Korea has allowed small farmers' markets and other modest reforms. But Beijing has been pushing for more changes in an effort to revive the economy and reduce its reliance on Chinese aid.
A new online voting system aimed at boosting turnout among the Philippines’ millions of overseas workers ahead of Monday’s mid-term elections has been marked by confusion and fears of disenfranchisement. Thousands of overseas Filipino workers have already cast their ballots in the race dominated by a bitter feud between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and his impeached vice president, Sara Duterte. While official turnout figures are not yet publicly available, data from the Philippine Commission on Elections (COMELEC) showed that at least 134,000 of the 1.22 million registered overseas voters have signed up for the new online system, which opened on April 13. However,
ALLIES: Calling Putin his ‘old friend,’ Xi said Beijing stood alongside Russia ‘in the face of the international counter-current of unilateralism and hegemonic bullying’ Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday was in Moscow for a state visit ahead of the Kremlin’s grand Victory Day celebrations, as Ukraine accused Russia’s army of launching air strikes just hours into a supposed truce. More than 20 foreign leaders were in Russia to attend a vast military parade today marking 80 years since the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, taking place three years into Russia’s offensive in Ukraine. Putin ordered troops into Ukraine in February 2022 and has marshaled the memory of Soviet victory against Nazi Germany to justify his campaign and rally society behind the offensive,
ENTERTAINMENT: Rio officials have a history of organizing massive concerts on Copacabana Beach, with Madonna’s show drawing about 1.6 million fans last year Lady Gaga on Saturday night gave a free concert in front of 2 million fans who poured onto Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro for the biggest show of her career. “Tonight, we’re making history... Thank you for making history with me,” Lady Gaga told a screaming crowd. The Mother Monster, as she is known, started the show at about 10:10pm local time with her 2011 song Bloody Mary. Cries of joy rose from the tightly packed fans who sang and danced shoulder-to-shoulder on the vast stretch of sand. Concert organizers said 2.1 million people attended the show. Lady Gaga
CONFLICTING REPORTS: Beijing said it was ‘not familiar with the matter’ when asked if Chinese jets were used in the conflict, after Pakistan’s foreign minister said they were The Pakistan Army yesterday said it shot down 25 Indian drones, a day after the worst violence between the nuclear-armed rivals in two decades. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed to retaliate after India launched deadly missile strikes on Wednesday morning, escalating days of gunfire along their border. At least 45 deaths were reported from both sides following Wednesday’s violence, including children. Pakistan’s military said in a statement yesterday that it had “so far shot down 25 Israeli-made Harop drones” at multiple location across the country. “Last night, India showed another act of aggression by sending drones to multiple locations,” Pakistan military spokesman Ahmed
RSS