North Korean leader and Chinese president hold talks in Beijing

Strong ties portrayed following recent tensions

North Korea leader Kim Jong Un has visited Beijing and met China’s President Xi Jinping in his first known trip to a foreign country since he took power in 2011.

The leaders sought to portray strong ties between the long-time allies despite a recent chill as both countries confirmed Mr Kim’s secret trip this week.

The visit highlights Beijing and Pyongyang’s efforts to better position themselves by showing they support each other ahead of Mr Kim’s planned meetings with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump in the coming weeks.

Mr Kim made the unofficial visit to China from Sunday to yesterday at Mr Xi’s invitation, China’s official Xinhua News Agency said.

Mr Xi held talks with Mr Kim at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Official reports from both countries depicted warm ties between the two leaders in an effort to downplay recent tensions in relations over Mr Kim’s development of nuclear weapons and long-range missiles.

Ties in recent months have frayed as China supported tougher UN sanctions on North Korea and suspended imports of coal, iron ore, seafood and textiles.

Pyongyang last year seemingly sought to humiliate Beijing by timing some of its missile tests for major global summits in China, while its state media accused Chinese state-controlled media of “going under the armpit of the US” by criticising the North.

Mr Xi hailed Mr Kim’s visit as embodying the importance with which the North Korean leader regarded ties with China.

“We speak highly of this visit,” Mr Xi told Mr Kim, according to Xinhua.

Analysts say Mr Kim would have felt a need to consult with his country’s traditional ally ahead of summits with Mr Moon and Mr Trump. China would also not want Mr Kim’s first foreign meeting to be with someone other than Mr Xi.

“China was getting concerned it could be left out of any initial political agreements that Moon and Kim or Trump and Kim could come to,” said Michael Kovrig, senior adviser for north-east Asia at the International Crisis Group.

“This is China asserting its regional hegemony and influence, saying: ‘Hey, you talk to me first’.”

China was getting concerned it could be left out of any initial political agreements that Moon and Kim or Trump and Kim could come to

Picture: AP. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.