SEOUL, South Korea—The Chinese government confirmed Wednesday that North Korea’s reclusive leader Kim Jong Un went to Beijing and met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in his first known trip to a foreign country since he took power in 2011.
The official Xinhua News Agency said Kim made an unofficial visit to China from Sunday to Wednesday.
Xi held talks with Kim at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing and he and his wife Peng Liyuan hosted a banquet for Kim and his wife Ri Sol Ju, Xinhua said. They also watched an art performance together, the news agency said.
Analysts say Kim would have felt a need to consult with his country’s traditional ally ahead of his planned meetings with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Donald Trump.
Kim Jong Un’s late father, Kim Jong Il, found a strong ally in then-Chinese president Jiang Zemin. Kim Jong Il visited China several times during his rule, lastly in May 2011, months before his death. He also met Jiang in 2000 before a summit between the two Koreas in June that year.
While that visit was seen at the time as reaffirmation of close ties between North Korea and Beijing, the nature of the relationship between Kim Jong Un and President Xi remains to be seen. China’s recent backing of tough U.N. sanctions in response to North Korea’s nuclear threats maybe have added strain to a traditionally close relationship.
North Korea would not exist as it does today without the technology transfers, diplomatic protection, and money that the People's Republic of China has given to the Kim dictatorship for decades. https://t.co/lD0raaHLI4
— Marion Smith (@smithmarion) March 27, 2018
The excited press chatter surrounding #KimJongUn's "mysterious" visit to #Beijing belies a certain ignorance about the longstanding patronage of #NorthKorea by #China. https://t.co/zSfB3t7va9
— Marion Smith (@smithmarion) March 27, 2018
The North’s diplomatic outreach came after an unusually provocative year when it conducted its most powerful nuclear test to date and three ICBMs tests designed to target the U.S. mainland.
The developments were interpreted as the North being desperate to break out of isolation and improve its economy after being squeezed by heavy sanctions.
Historic ties within China’s Communist Party remain North Korea’s only major allies, with China being the country’s chief provider of energy, aid and trade that keep its broken economy afloat.
The visit to China marks Kim’s first known trip since taking power in 2011 and his reported meeting with Xi was his first meeting with a foreign head of state.
Past visits by Kim Jong Il to China were surrounded in secrecy, with Beijing only confirming his presence after he had crossed the border by train back into North Korea.
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