N Korea’s Kim shows unity with China’s Xi in first foreign trip
BEIJING – Agence France-Presse
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.
On his first trip abroad since taking power, Kim and his wife were met with honor guards and a banquet hosted by Xi, according to state media, which confirmed the “unofficial” visit on March 28 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 denuclearization” 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.”
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 U.N. 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 March 25 and endedyesterday.
Analysts said Xi likely wanted to see Kim to ensure North Korea does not cut a deal with U.S. 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 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,” 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.”
Xinhua said Kim 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 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 U.S. 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 March 27.
“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 March 26 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 March 28 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.
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 neighbor’s nuclear weapons program 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 U.S. 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.
