National Post (National Edition)
MYSTERY TRAIN BRINGS NORTH KOREA’S KIM JONG UN TO DINE WITH CHINA’S XI JINPING.
A MYSTERY TRAIN HAS ENDED WITH N. KOREA’S KIM JONG UN AND CHINA’S XI JINPING BONDING OVER A BANQUET
SNEAKY
While the world was frantically speculating about various clues that a high-level North Korean delegation had sneaked into Beijing unannounced, a smiling Kim and Xi toasted each other with glasses of white and red wine at a grand banquet. Taking a leaf out of his father’s cloak-and-dagger approach for his debut diplomatic foray, Kim had glided across the Chinese border on the 21-carriage armoured train with blacked-out windows. The arrival of the train — a grand mode of transport used by Kim Jong Il, his late father, who chose to slide stealthily into Beijing in 2011 out of a fear of flying — first piqued the interest of the Japanese media on Monday, sparking frenzied guesswork. On Wednesday, the visit was finally confirmed.
DUTY
Kim told Xi that there was “no question” that his first foreign visit was going to be to the Chinese capital, according to North Korea’s KCNA. “This is my solemn duty,” he declared. The North Korean leader had taken at least six years to consolidate his domestic power base before risking his inaugural overseas trip, and he needed to get it right. After asserting his rule through a series of purges and rapid progress on his nuclear and missiles programmes, he arrived in Beijing with the appearance of a man who held several cards in his pocket.
DIPLOMACY
Commentators agreed that it gave a taste of the frantic backroom diplomacy at play ahead of planned summits between Kim, South Korean president Moon Jae-in and Trump. In an article for Australia’s Lowy Institute, Robert Kelly, a professor of political science at South Korea’s Busan University, said the surprise Beijing meeting made the Trump-Kim summit more likely. “Kim probably wanted to ask the Chinese if they thought Trump’s offer was real, given Trump’s tendency to skylark, before answering him,” he wrote. Trump later tweeted that there was “a good chance” that Kim “do what is right for his people and for humanity” and make moves toward peace.
MESSAGING
The message to the North Korean public was tightly edited. While the Chinese media reported that denuclearization and a possible meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump were both discussed, there were no such mentions by Pyongyang’s official newswire, KCNA. Any shift on North Korea’s weapons — known as a “treasured sword of justice” — would be a sudden and dramatic turnaround for a leader who has staked his power and legitimacy on his nuclear arsenal. Instead, North Koreans were told of the “precious tradition” of the friendship between their nation and China, and treated to a triumphal nine-minute announcement by Ri Chun Hee, the exuberant newsreader and so-called “Pink Lady.”