North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was treated to a lavish welcome by Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) during a secretive trip to Beijing this week, as both sides seek to repair frayed ties ahead of landmark summits with Seoul and Washington.
On his first trip abroad since taking power, Kim and his wife were met on Monday with honor guards and a banquet hosted by Xi, according to state media, which yesterday confirmed the “unofficial” visit only after Kim had returned to North Korea.
The two men held talks at the Great Hall of the People during which they hailed their nations’ historic relations, with Kim pledging that he was “committed to denuclearization” on the Korean Peninsula, according to Xinhua news agency.
Photo: AP / Korean Central News Agency VIA Korea News Service
“There is no question that my first foreign visit would be to the Chinese capital,” Kim said, according to the North’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
“This is my solemn duty as someone who should value and continue the DPRK-PRC relations through generations,” Kim said, referring to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the People’s Republic of China.
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.
However, 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 the North Korean leader “under the new circumstances”, according to Xinhua.
Xi and Kim Jong-un shook hands and sat across from each other at a long 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 (彭麗媛), waved goodbye, while Kim Jong-un and his spouse, Ri Sol-ju, smiled as they left in a black car.
Chinese and North Korean state media said the visit started on Sunday and ended yesterday, but that apparently included travel time from Pyongyang to Beijing and back.
Analysts said Xi likely wanted to see Kim Jong-un 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 Jong-un’s visit puts China firmly back at the center 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,” said Bonnie Glaser, a China expert at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.
“Both likely concluded that further deterioration in relations would be harmful,” Glaser said.
Deng Yuwen (鄧聿文), an international relations researcher, said North Korea needed to turn to its old ally ahead of the US summit, as Kim Jong-un would be skeptical that Trump would guarantee the security of his regime.
“North Korea needs the big brother to protect it at a crucial moment,” Deng said.
Xinhua said Kim Jong-un expressed his willingness to hold summits with Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
“The issue of denuclearization 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 realization of peace,” Kim Jong-un said, according to Xinhua.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said Trump received a personal note from Xi on Tuesday about Kim’s visit.
“We see this development as further evidence that our campaign of maximum pressure is creating the appropriate atmosphere for dialogue with North Korea,” she said.
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